In a public forum, River Campus Libraries staff and representatives from Chaintreuil Jensen Stark (CJS) Architects discussed plans for the creation of Evans Lam Square in the circulation area of Rush Rhees Library giving a tentative vision and asking for student input on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
At the start of the forum, CJS Project Architect Karsten Solberg acknowledged that “there’s a lot riding on this library space” and that people have “deep feelings” about the library’s character. Solberg presented CJS Architects’ ideas in a PowerPoint presentation, with the main points titled “Vision of the Square,” “Conceptual Plan & Program Elements,” “What Not to Do,” “Aesthetic Hints & Interpretations” and “Look & Feel.”
Historical rooms like Welles-Brown and the Messinger Periodical Reading Room; the Friedlander Lobby itself; and the Reference Stacks will not be touched. Dean of River Campus Libraries Mary Ann Mavrinac noted that the Periodical Reading Room and Welles-Brown are the only two rooms in the library that have largely stayed the same since Rush Rhees’ construction.
Lam Square will be a long, rectangular space located between the columns near the large wooden tables in the circulation desk area up to the ground level entrance to the stacks. The bathrooms and staff offices will be relocated, so that students walking through Rush Rhees will be walking through a large room rather than down a hallway. The Gandhi Room will also be opened up.
A square is thought to be a fluid and adaptable space, Solberg said, and CJS sees the square as a “billboard,” a destination, an advertisement, the place where “everything is being heard” and something more than a pass-through space.
For the current, loose and conceptual layout, CJS plans on creating symmetry and on keeping the areas around the windows open to allow as much light as possible into the space. In the square itself, there would be screen stations for computers, soft seating, traditional table seating, a tech bar for staff to potentially showcase “gadgetry,” a pop-up space which would transition and change as the year progresses and a “looser, open, collaborative space” which would allow for more activity and flexibility than elsewhere in the square.
Solberg added that there would also be a focal point or anchor, something to define the space in the same way that a fountain or monument defines other squares. She presented the idea of a “living” or “inhabitable” wall which would replace the bookshelves currently lining the back wall of the circulation area, with a help desk in the middle of that wall as the anchor.
The living wall would contain booths with varying purposes. On the very edges of the walls might be “touch and go spaces,” counters where students could work while standing or sitting. Moving further inward would be “consult spaces” where a student could meet staff members and talk face-to-face. Then, moving even further inward, there would be nooks where students could “nestle in” and find “some degree of privacy.” Finally, staff would work at the help desk, or “command center,” in the middle of the wall.
Solberg then showed three pictures of the types of aesthetics CJS is looking to avoid, displaying a black and white photo of a traditional room which she described as “country club”-esque, a space reminiscent of a highlighter-hued Gleason and finally, a drab space Solberg described as “so vanilla and boring,” and as the closest to the current, “soulless” circulation area.
For aesthetics, Solberg then said that CJS wants a traditional, sophisticated feel while striking a balance between classical and modern. She showed slides of color palettes drawn from the works of artists from the time period of Rush Rhees’ construction, showing and describing themes of John William Waterhouse, James McNeill Whistler and Gustav Klimt’s works.
Students’ Association president and senior Grant Dever and others told the architects and library staff that they really enjoyed the feel of the recent renovations to the lobby of Morey Hall, describing it as a “cozy” space during the winter. University Architect Jose Fernandez added that the renovations to Morey had been very well-received and that the space feels very comfortable.
Students at the forum asked about the large wooden tables in the current circulation area. Solberg said that the “5,000 pound” tables would not be part of the square, but that CJS will be heavily incorporating woods in the space.
Lai is a member
of the class of 2018.
