libraries selected projects
table of contents /
01. about perkins+will 02. Communal knowledge 03. The library and the City 04. The Academic learning centeR 05. Libraries go to school
Whitby Public Library and Civic Square Whitby, Ontario perkinswill.com
section 01. about perkins+will
Sammamish Library Sammamish, Washington
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ideas+ Buildings We hold a common philosophy and a standard of excellence; our firm shares expertise across twenty-four offices globally. This inclusive strategy focuses us on our clients, our communities, and our vision, which is as compelling today as it was at the firms inception: to craft ideas and buildings that honor the broader goals of society. Oak Park Public Library Oak Park, Illinois Selected Projects: Libraries Section 01. About Perkins+Will  7 
Angus Glen Library and Community Centre Markham, Ontario
ideas + buildings / We believe that design has the power to positively transform people and the planet.
Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Centre, University of Toronto, Mississauga Campus Mississauga, Ontario
areas of practice Corporate + Commercial Civic + Cultural Healthcare Higher Education Hospitality +Residential K-12 Education Science + Technology Sports + Recreation Transportation disciplines Architecture Branded Environments Interiors
Curious, agile, and adaptable, we craft solutions that inspire our clients and their communities, create positive long-term environmental, economic, and social change, and set new paradigms for the future. Since 1935, Perkins+Will has created innovative and award-winning designs for the world’s most forward-thinking clients. We are architects, interior designers, urban designers, landscape architects, consultants, and branded environment experts who approach design from all scales and perspectives. Engaged, accessible, and collaborative, our staff of 1,500 professionals brings together high design, functional performance, and social responsibility to advance project goals. Inspired by the programs within, we design from the inside-out. We combine a deeply humanistic approach with results-driven pragmatism to create dynamic spaces for people. Research-focused and inventive, every day we reimagine how space can be used to foster stronger ties between communities, the built environment, and nature. With nearly 1,000 LEED ® Accredited Professionals, sustainable design and the use of healthy building materials are fundamental to our process. Our transformative designs help students learn better, patients heal faster, business teams perform stronger, and city dwellers have more meaningful daily experiences.
Landscape Architecture Planning + Strategies Urban Design Selected Projects: Libraries Section 01. About Perkins+Will 9
locations / LONDON VANCOUVER SEATTLE OTTAWA
MINNEAPOLIS
TORONTO DUNDAS
CHICAGO
BOSTON
NEW YORK WASHINGTON, DC
SAN FRANCISCO
RTP CHARLOTTE
LOS ANGELES DALLAS
ATLANTA
AUSTIN HOUSTON MIAMI
SÃO PAULO
10 Selected Projects: Libraries Section 01. About Perkins+Will
library experts / andrew frontini Design Director - Toronto Andrew.Frontini@perkinswill.com +1 (416) 217.6535
SHANGHAI
DUBAI
eileen jones Branded Environments Global Leader - U.S. Eileen.Jones@perkinswill.com +1 (312) 755.4550
Steve Turckes K-12 Education Global Leader - U.S. Steven.Turckes@perkinswill.com +1 (312) 755.4570
Ken Rohlfing Associate Principal - Chicago Kenneth.Rohlfing@perkinswill.com +1 (312) 755.4505
Selected Projects: Libraries Section 01. About Perkins+Will  11 
Whitby Public Library and Civic Square Whitby, Ontario
Library Design Our Evolving Practice What does the word library mean when knowledge and information are no longer tied to physical objects? When the storage and ordering of information occurs outside of physical space, what does the space of the library become? These and many related questions are the daily ponderence of library professionals and library designers. The notion of the library as a place where humanity’s collected knowledge is stored, protected and categorized is universal and spans millennia. It is only since late nineteenth century and in particular through the vision of Andrew Carnegie, that the contents of the library have been opened to the broad spectrum of society. This “democratization of knowledge” is not quite a century old and yet it forms a seemingly incontestable pillar of our society. We have seen the library transform from a protective sanctum to an open space for the nurturing of public knowledge and intelligence, but the most radical and rapid transformation of the library is upon us now. At Perkins+Will, we have a broad exposure to a vast collection of ideas regarding the future of libraries. These ideas come from our clients – library professionals working in community libraries, in academic libraries at universities and colleges and in libraries within the K-12 school system. We also fuel our library design practice through independent research that sounds the technological, cultural and technical issues affecting library design today. We marry our broad experience to a progressive interdisciplinary design practice which sees the space of the library and its systems as a holistic entity. At Perkins+Will, the disciplines of Architecture, Interior Design and Branded Environments are applied simultaneously in the creation of library spaces that are at the forefront of sustainability, inspiring communities of knowledge and growth.
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section 02. COMMUNITY
Brooklin Library and Community Centre Brooklin, Ontario
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Brooklin Library and Community Centre Brooklin, Ontario
COMMUNAL KNOWLEDGE COMMUNAL SPACE As children, many of us recall a sense of wonder at the seemingly boundless trove of knowledge offered by our local library. These libraries promised “knowledge within reach for every chapter of life”. Knowledge and entertainment can now be enjoyed at any time and in any place through the proliferation of digital media. In order to ensure their continuing relevance, libraries have positioned themselves at the forefront of technological advancement with programs that educate and inspire patrons of all ages. Music, art, gaming, software training, and business and financial training are all found at the library. The still, lofty room of books and magazines has transformed into a collection of dynamic, technologically driven environments. Good design allows these environments to function, coexist and to transform over time. Good architecture has become the calling card of library systems. While it may be true that information can be retrieved anywhere, learning in a great space, amongst your fellow citizens remains an attractive proposition for many people. Imagine a place that feels like home from which you can discover the entire world. Despite the global aspect of our culture, we believe that architecture should be rooted in its place. Community libraries provide the opportunity to reflect a local condition through building form, materiality, and response to site and climate.
Selected Projects: Libraries Section 02. Community 17
Brooklin Library and Community Centre
LOCATION Brooklin, Ontario completion date 2008 size 13,000 square feet
A remnant forest in the historic village of Brooklin, Ontario provides the setting and inspiration for this district Library and Community Center. A remnant forest in the historic village of Brooklin, Ontario provides the setting and inspiration for this district Library and Community Center. Each of the key program areas are housed in one of three linked structures whose roof lines and simple forms recall the region’s agrarian roots. A sophisticated approach to structural articulation, detailing and materiality transforms a regional inspiration into a sharply articulated response to contemporary design issues. Porches, breezeways and glazed links provide the common space and allow the three shed volumes to frame courtyards and views into the surrounding hardwood forest. The preservation of
specimen hardwoods was critical to the placement of the building footprint and the resulting micro climates are an integral part of the building’s sustainable strategy. The Library component brings new collections, lounge and study space to the growing community. The library is suffused with natural light tempered by the forest and the material qualities of wood and stone. The north end of the library looks onto a woodland reading court while its south façade has a presence on the main street taking its place among the village’s key civic structures.
Selected Projects: Libraries Section 02. Community 19
Cedar ridge high school
LOCATION Round Rock, Texas completion date July 2010 size 375,000 square feet
Cedar Ridge High School expresses a progressive educational program while reflecting a modern interpretation to the regional vernacular architecture. Outdoor courtyards are the heart of the campus providing a secure, flexible space for circulation, break-out learning, and other multipurpose functions. Each zone contains individual media centers, administration suites and teacher areas. Each academic specific media center encourages student learning, student to student, and student to teacher interaction outside of the classroom.
Selected Projects: Libraries Section 05. K-12  57 
Ideas + buildings that honor the broader goals of society.
perkinswill.com