Separation and Connection

S E PA R AT I O N

CONNECTION

AND

an exploration of program and the contemporary library form ESALA

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Any Place

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Emma Henderson

CONTENTS

1 PRECEDENT .

2 S PAT I A L S T U D I E S .

3 SITE .

4 DESIGN .

5 D E TA I L

1 PRECEDENTS Compar ati vely an alysin g tw o pr eceden ts ra i ses quest i o ns r elatin g to issu es of scale, pr ogr amme and d esi r ed sp a t i a l q u alities an d their ef f ect on appr oaches to t he d esi g n p r o cess, thr ou gh in spection of a libr ar y’s fu n ctio na l r equi r em ent s, pr ogr ammatic ar r an gemen ts an d spatial or ga ni sa t i o ns.

Aveiro University Library Alvaro Siza

Munster City Library Bolles + Wilson

T he comparison of these two libraries i s i nteres ti ng a s it raises questions concer ning the role of a l i bra r y a nd the ways that functions can be distribu ted d e pend i ng on prog ram.

Mu n ster lib rar y ser ves a whole city theref ore i ts prog ram considers more the social a nd i ntera ctive functions of a librar y. W hereas Avei r o Univer si ty librar y’s prog ram is more traditi ona l , wei g hted towards individual lear ning and study.

1. Pa t hwa y 2. Di vision of P r og ra m ( r esult ing t hr esho l ds) 3. S oc ia l r ole of lib ra r y 4. R esp onse of lib ra r y t o infor m a t ion m edi a 5. L ib ra r y a s a n a c a d em ic b uild ing

D I G I TA L

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OPEN

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SOCIAL

Bolles+Wilson’s key move was to completely separate the information, media and social spaces by creating a bold axis that connects the building to the city and site. The reading block (shown in red) is accessible only through the social/interaction spaces to the north.

north-south divide

Book Stacks

Newspaper Reading Room

Cafe

Main Entrance

Cloakroom

Catalogues

Check In/Out

Lecture Room

Information Display/Lobby

Children’s Library

Games Corner

Kitchen

Book Stacks

Reading Area

Walkway Book Stacks

Reading Area

Sorting Room Events Room

Storing Room

Media Library Art Library Music Library

Long Term Storage

Deliveries

Munster City

Circulation Offices Individual Spaces Open Spaces

TRADITIONAL

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INSULAR

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INDIVIDUAL

As a purely educational building, the Aveiro library contains little public space. The books are held in the central section, the focal point of the building.

Social interaction takes place on the ground floor and the upper floors are quieter.

up-down divide

Closed Stacks and Valuable Documents Book Stacks/ Reading Area

Group Rooms

Main Entrance

Individual Rooms

Lockers/Cultural Events

Staff Entrance Machine Room

Offices

Closed Stacks

Informal Reading Room

Aveiro Univerity Emma Henderson and Nicola Murphy

2

S PAT I A L S T U D I E S

The pu r pose of this assign men t is mater ial, lin kin g together r esear ch ideas that will be taken to Madr id the spe cific con dition s of the site

t o p r o d uce d esi g n and d esi g n b a se d and t est ed a ga i nst a nd i t s co nt ex t .

In this series of spatial studies I contemplated the creation of a pathway (as in Munster). Star ting with a complete path, cutting it into strips and pulling them apar t; relating this to a librar y design: the strips hous e different prog rammatic functions and are all connected by the central pathway.

S PAT I A L S T U D Y

With the digital revolution and the increasing secularity of our society the program of the library has developed to become a growing phenomenon, stretching far beyond merely the academic and holding a semi-sacred position within the city. With this in mind, my prototypes aimed to capture and colonise a bit of a city for the library, creating a city of books.

initial wood block model

based on the idea of taking a block and dividing it into smaller units based on a grid

On the scale of the building, I used the repetitive flow recipe for inspiration, starting with a series of volumes (representing the thresholds present in a library). I then began to test out various arrangements of these exploring pathways and potential relationships with surrounding streets. Taking inspiration from the Munster City library, I considered the possibility of physically separating out the library program to filter the flow of pedestrians and dissolve the library’s thresholds, working with the idea of disseminating knowledge throughout the city, making it accessible to all.

in this series I explored the creation of pathways and nodes based on manipulating the units and examining the residual spaces and the relationship between them.

I sectionally considered the possibilities of connecting the se parate blocks (se parate functions) through walkways. thinking about how to access blocks both from outside and from one another, with the possibility of having some blocks accessible only through others, like in Munster City Librar y.

BLOCK

G RID a nd SPAC ES BET WEEN streets

AP P LIC ATI ON OF PR OG R A M

cour tyards, open spaces, book space

E D G E , N OD E S an d POR OS I TY connection points, crossroads, circulation, connection to city

SITE

M a d rid

1 . T he s pr awl i ng u rba n metropol i s that is M adr id over whelms and of f er s f ew m om ents of ca l m.

2 . A la r g e n etwork of l i brari es has been developed within the metr opolitan a r ea of M a d ri d. T hey offer a broa d r ang e of c o m m unity ser v ices and have becom e loca l soc i a l h u b s . T hi s man’s use of U ser a libr ar y f or r elax ation and ref lecti on wa s a g rea t s ou rce of inspir ation f ollowing my r esear ch into the pu r p os e o f a l i brar y beyond merely the academic.

3 . M a d r i d i s a ci ty of con sta n t m ovement, str eet lif e dominates the cultur e as th e cl i m a te al l ows for ou tsi d e activity thr oug h most of the year.

4 . Soci a l inter a cti o n and commu n ity ar e also pr evailing f eatur es.

1 view f r o m To r r es B la n ca s

2 Us era Li brar y

3 El Rastr o m a r ket

4 M er ca d o d e Sa n Fer n a n d o

SITE

u r b a n c o n d i t i o n s

T h e M en d ez Ă l va ro a rea i s centrally located (just of f the main ur ban g r id ) a nd is u n d erg oi ng extreme trans for mation and r edevelopment ( br e akdow n o f g ri d ). I t i s a s er vi ce area fo r the r ailr oad and so the consolidation of th e u r b a n f a bri c i s i nfor med by a complex set of spatial r elationships . T he d ecl i ne of the s er vi ces ha s l eft an u n str uctur ed landscape, dotted with ur ban vo i d s (r e si d u a l sp a ce ).

U N D E R S TA ND ING TH E UR BAN GRID assessing and under standing these ci ty cond iti ons provi des a len s thr oug h which to ex amine the immediate site.

BLO CK

the established g rid system seen in the centre of Madrid

ABSEN C E

plazas, streets and parks

S PA C E S B E TW E E N streets

N OD E S

connection points, crossroads

EDGE

deviations of the g rid system

SITE our site T he s ite i s a hy br i d of bl ock, absence, node and ed g e.

It m a r k s ou t the poi nt where th e g r id br eaks dow n a s it m eets the a x i s of the ca l le de M endez Ă lvar o.

T he s i te cu ts throu gh an ur b an b lo ck , acting as a p a th wa y , wi th edg es to both the main r oad, a s i d e r o a d a nd the ne i ghbou ri ng building.

1:1000 group site model the breakdown of the grid and the urban conditions are considered in this volumetric model

SITE

from abstract to specific

These images document the move from negotiating issues of program and spatial organisation to the requirements and constraints of the site and context. from spatial studies to site block | grid | pathway | connection

development models

pathway | division of program

MUNSTER LIBRARY pathway and access separation of program, social role of library

SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY separation of program, meeting of new and old media, social interaction

4

DESIGN

T he desig n of this buil ding questio n s the var iation s that a libr ar y for m can take, tr yin g to in te g rate these var iation s in to on e design .

W ith th e develo p m en t o f the digital ag e and global connectivity, the librar y has adap ted to acco m m o date the new potential ways of disseminating knowledg e.

T h e Seattle C en tr al lib r ar y by OMA was designed in response to the increasing erosion o f th e f r ee p ub lic do m ain , wh ere the librar y has become the “last re positor y of the free an d p ub lic” (El C r o quis). T h ey describe the electronic as intangible and ubiquitous, its un co n tr o llab le accessib ility re presenting a loss of order and tradition. T he design p r esen ts all f o r m s o f m edia, new and old, equally and legibly. OMA org anised it, like M un ster C ity lib r ar y, in to spatial c ompar tments, each directed and designed for sp ecif ic duties.

T h is b uildin g sh owcases th e d eveloping social role of the librar y and its multiple r esp o n sib ilities; f o r ex am p le, the need to neg otiate the interface between a body of k n owledg e an d th e o p en ur b an realm.

W ith th e ideas o f so cial in ter action being the promise of the new public librar y, and o f tech n o lo g ical ch an g e cr eating an infinite space of infor mation, I consolidated the wo r k an d r esear ch do n e p r ev iously to push the design forward.

ideas: - the division of pr o g r a m (u s in g th e u r b a n g r id a s a to o l f o r d ivis io n ) - the social r ole of th e lib r a r y - libr ar y’s r esponse to tech n o lo g ica l d evelo p m en t r esponses: - division of pr og r am in to 3 b lo cks (a ca d em ic, s o cia l a n d r ef lective libr ar y space, and in f o r m a tio n m ed ia ) - ex tension of plinth - connection of blo cks via p a th way to city a n d o n e a n o th er - dif f er entiation between b lo cks by cir cu la tio n , lig h t co n d itio n s, access and f açades

DESIGN

siting

Grid T he bu i l di ng for m refer ences the ur ban g r id p r es ent to the Nor th-West of the site, however it is a l i gned to the axi s of the main adjacent r oad cons i deri ng the brea kdown of the ex isting g r id by s etti ng u p a new one.

P l in th T he extens i on of the pl i nth anchor s the building to the s i te - i t opens the b uilding to the r esidents o f the adj a cent bu i l di ngs, whilst cr eating a semip r ivate ou ts i de s pace for l ibr ar y user s and r esidents to sha re - cons i deri ng the r ole of the libr ar y as a s oci a l bu i l di ng.

1:1000 SITE PLAN

DESIGN

propose

I h ave di fferenti a ted the thr ee blocks by intensity of s tu dy throu gh thei r relationship to the g r ound f loor (ci rcu l a ti on a nd voids) and their visible opennes s to the ci ty (fa รงades)

1:500 diagrammatic plan

DESIGN

pathway

t h r e s h o l d , o p e n n e s s, c o n n e c t i o n t o c i t y, p o r o s i t y T h e pathway r u nni ng throug h the building is cr ea ted by the e xtens i on of the ex isting plinth.

It is the poi nt where the th r ee se par ate f unctions hel d wi thi n the l i brar y come tog ether. T he walkway enco u ra g es the movement of people thr oug h the bu il di ng, crea ti ng an envi r onment f or encounter a nd i nteracti on.

T h e s i te cu t s throu gh a n ur ban block and is in i ts el f a pathway, thi s des i g n r ef lects on the pr eex i s tence of that pa thway.

interior visualisation

1:500 1ST FLOOR PLAN

1:200 GROUND FLOOR PLAN

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

multipurpose space for lectures/exhibitions information displays/magazines and newspapers storage/staff/archives WCs reception/book drop/entrance lobby cafĂŠ childrens library garden

1:200 1ST FLOOR PLAN

1 2 3 4 5

garden reading room/circulation void reading/group study archives

1:200 2ND FLOOR PLAN

1 multimedia room/information media 2 fiction reading 3 void 4 academic study

1:200 3RD FLOOR PLAN

1 2 3 4

film/presentation room bar/lobby/social space fiction reading academic study

1:200 LONG SECTION

This block is the link between the ground floor and the 2 polar opposite library conditions housed in the other 2 blocks.

As the main space for circulation and the key threshold between the public and private realm, it contains the parts of the library program which are most flexible and encourage group work and individual reading and the dissemination of knowledge through interaction.

1:200 SECTION

Situated on the quieter side of the site this block is the most traditional. It houses the archives, special records, non-fiction and quiet spaces for study.

It cannot be directly accessed from ground level and is almost completely closed to the outside. This creates a space of solitude, calm and detachment necessary for academic study and research. It is a reflection on libraries of the past.

1:200 SECTION

This block is a response to information media and the library as a growing phenomena in modern cities. Turned inside out, no apparent absorption or containment, it is a physical manifestation of global connectivity and the free flow of information that has occurred due to the advent of the digital age.

Effectively a glass box, it is completely connected to the city.

1:200 SECTION

This section highlights the presence of green space in the design as well as the connection between the upper and lower floors in each block

1:200 SECTION

5 D E TA I L

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brief

The spatial and organizational patterns that architects develop, as means for the articulation of the architectural qualities of their buildings, are seldom perceived by their users in a direct manner.

However, it can be argued that these patterns are indeed embedded into the architectural experience, and therefore can be made apparent to users by conveying them at the scale of the architectural detail.

When we explore a building , we engage with it throughout our senses, either at a scale of proximity that is normally found in interior spaces, or at the scale of dynamic, diffuse, distant observation –which is directly related to the experience of the façade. Both of these scales are grounded in the careful development and serialization of a series of architectural details.

1:500 ELEVATION | varying façades

morning and evening light

midday light

Concrete floor slab: 200mm (finished floor level created by polished concrete effect tiles) Hanging plasterboard ceiling (to hide services and joints) Glass fin hanging clamp: 2 angles bolted together through glass Glass fin: 25mm thick toughened glass plate

5 Double glazing: 19mm toughened glass, 16mm cavite, 6mm glass

25mm Trespa panel with built in hook

Stainless steel tube, bolted to glass

Silicone sealant, 75x38x6.4mm channel, timber packer Bolt plate (cast in): 10mm thick polyester powder coated steel (to create clean white line of floor)

D E TA I L

B a s in g th e b u ild in g o n th e g r id g ives th e d es ig n p reci si o n a n d r a tio n a lity. T h is p r ecis io n ex ten d s th r o u g h to th e f i n est s ca le o f th e b u ild in g. T h is r eq u ir es th e f a รงa d es to b e cl ean a n d p u r e, with b o lts a n d s er vices h id d en . I ch o s e to exam i n e th e p a n ellin g d eta il o n th e f a ca d e, wo r kin g o u t h ow to create a f lu s h a n d s ea m les s f a รงa d e wh ils t a ls o cr ea tin g th e co r rect in ter n a l co n d itio n . T h e p a n els cr ea te a s p a ce o f s h a d e b eh i n d th em s u ita b le f o r r ea d in g o r s tu d y (th e r es p o n s e to th i s can b e s een in th e p la n , with d es ks s itu a ted b eh in d p an el s), i n b etween th e p a n els a r e win d ows o u t to th e city, l etti n g i n s h a f ts o f lig h t a n d cr ea tin g s p a ces f o r r ef lectio n .