FULTON COUNTY CENTRAL LIBRARY The book is changing
Marcel Breuer (1902 - 1981)
FULTON COUNTY CENTRAL LIBRARY Atlanta, GA 1980
1902 Carnigie Library
SITE
Williams St.
Carnegie Way
Forsyth St.
I-85
Georgia Dome
Turner Feild
EXISTING PLANS
second floor
third floor
ONE MARGARET MITCHELL SQUARE ATLANTA, GA 30303
ground floor
fourth floor
fifth floor
EXISTING PLANS
THESIS | THEME
[Atmosphere] is some kind of sensuous emission of sound, light, heat, smell, and moisture; a swirling climate of intangible effects generated by a stationary object. To construct a building is to construct such an atmosphere. Atmosphere might even be the central objective of the architect. In the end, it is the climate of ephemeral effects that envelops the inhabitant, not the building. To enter a project is to enter an atmosphere. —Mark Wigley, “The Architecture of Atmosphere“ (1998)
THESIS | THEME
“Atmosphere” is a hopelessly imprecise term describing environmental as well as psychological effects. Describing air as physical matter, then, may prove more effective as a design technique. Air is an immersive medium filled with thermodynamic information including convective currents, reverberant sound and airscattered light. Through the design of an integrated interior, air can be given quality. It can be made lush and expansive. Curious to the interior, and especially renovations, drastic changes in effect can result from decisions that show few traces in typical architectural drawings. Here, the attempt to understand a building as a complex immersive vessel defies clear distinctions between visible and invisible realms and complicates what can be drawn with confidence. But this challenge may restore renovation as an innovative design practice, one that promises to transform existing structures into sensitive containers— buildings to look with rather than look at.
Embedded within this distinction are social, cultural and aesthetic values peculiar to the interior but requiring a holistic approach. This, then, becomes a compelling research problem with Marcel Breuer as our guide. The studio will emphasize the development of a design methodology that uses experiential visualization to determine architectural effect. The development of a material imagination, the understanding of spatial complexity and an awareness of the sociospatial role of small scale design objects are important objectives. Within this general area of inquiry, numerous ideas are possible according to the interests of individual students. Studio investigations should be seen as vehicles for exploring your thesis ideas as they develop.
PROPOSED THESIS
Ten years from now or even twenty years from now what how will the book be? What will it be? Will books still be in a monograph form? Will a books gentle pages still be flipped, bent or torn by a person? Is the idea of a library fading away or is it transitioning into a free Wi-Fi social media hub? What’s to be understood here is the book as an object, not yet a relic. I intend to transform the idea of the Fulton County Central Library into place where monumentality mixes with a museum-like object that interjects itself into the existing library. This idea is achieved by creating stacks of books located on and within book-wells that are located on floors, two, three, four and five in the building. The book-wells on each floor intersect the floor plate in front of the north, south and east facing windows. The book-wells create reading and lounge spaces. The book-wells glass and zinc materials allow natural light to gently reflect and flow from three of the seven windows deeper into the building. The book-well as an object preserves the book and monumentalizes the importance of the book. The book shelving and care also emphasizes monumentality while still allowing book access for research, study, observation and reading uses. The bookwells are categorized by both user types as monograph readers and digital users. The material pallet of glass and metal of the book-wells contrast the existing warmth quality of concrete, carpet and limited wood the library currently has. The form may appear complex but each move is generated from various views to the existing windows, views to lounge and reading spaces, while providing access to each level of the book-wells.
DIGITAL TRANSITION
10 million objects have been scanned. Videos, photos, paintings, maps, manuscripts and drawings from the past 2000 years of European history.
As of April 30, 2013 | 30 million books have been scanned but has slowed since because of insuing lawsuits.
1000 books a day 2.8 million public domain books 800,000 digital books have been scanned at a rate of 5000 documents per month.
6 million books scanned 1 million are public
CASE STUDIES
Etienne-Louis Boullee | National Library, 1799
3
Trinity College Library, 1732
1
Dominique Perrault | Bibliothèque nationale de France, 1996
4
Mecannoo | Delft University Library, 1997
2
PROPOSED LIBRARY PROGRAM
CONF.
OFFICES
BOOKS
CONF.
BOOKS
MEETING
BOOKS
MEETING
MEETING
MEDIA
CHILDREN
COURTYARD
TEEN
COMMUNITY
CAREER CENTER
book book well well three one & two
OFFICES
OFFICES CONF.
BOOKS
MEETING
BOOKS
MEETING
MEDIA
CHILDREN
COMMUNITY
CAREER CENTER
AUDITORIUM
BOOKS
CONF.
MEETING
CHILDREN’S
OFFICES
CHILDREN’S
PRELIMINARY SKETCHES
The FCCL is a “blocky” building said to go unnoticed within the downtown Atlanta context. People also find it hard to love the building because of its brutalistic appearance clothed in concrete and punctured with only few windows. The interiors other than the main stairway aren’t very loved either. Each floor, if you can imagine is a twenty-five thousand square foot pancake. The floors to ceiling heights appear squished because of the expansive reach of each floor plate. The computers are overused and the books are underused.
FOURTH FLOOR - BOOK WELL INTERSECTIONS
3 2
OFFICES CONF.
1
OFFICES
CONF.
BOOKS
MEETING
BOOKS
MEETING
MEETING
MEDIA
CHILDREN
COMMUNITY
CAREER CENTER
FOURTH FLOOR SC: NTS
BOOKS
CHILDREN’S
PRELIMINARY SKETCHES
PRELIMINARY SKETCHES
BOOK WELL one
OFFICES CONF.
BOOKS
MEETING
BOOKS
MEETING
location: second floor looking at main stairs and book well one
BOOKS
CONF.
MEETING
Knoll | bar stool
OFFICES
MEDIA
CHILDREN
COMMUNITY
CAREER CENTER
CHILDREN’S
OFFICES CONF.
OFFICES
BOOKS
CONF.
BOOKS
MEETING
BOOKS
MEETING
MEETING
MEDIA
CHILDREN
COMMUNITY
CAREER CENTER book well one | media
SC: nts
book well one | reading
SC: nts
book well one | reading
CHILDREN’S SC: nts
FORM DEVELOPMENT DIAGRAM
elevators
elevators
lounge area stairs children’s area
stairs reading area
stairs
FORM DEVELOPMENT DIAGRAM each of the book well “librotis� (column) structure are centered on the same hole but rotate differently on each floor to accomedate for a variety of different views i.e. floor specific
a variety of book wells function as both a private reading space on the interior and book shelf space on both exterior and interior
FORM DEVELOPMENT DIAGRAM
originally having “bands” of book shelves closed in the space making the floor plate appear tight and low.
removing the “bands” and taking the book shelves more vertical makes the space and floor plate appear open and taller.
BOOK-WELL ONE OBJECT DIAGRAM
OFFICES CONF.
OFFICES
BOOKS
CONF.
BOOKS
MEETING
BOOKS
MEETING
MEETING
MEDIA
CHILDREN
COMMUNITY
CAREER CENTER
CHILDREN’S
PERSPECTIVE
Herman Miller Swoop Lounge Collection
club chair
OFFICES CONF.
ottoman
BOOKS
MEETING
BOOKS
MEETING
box table
BOOKS
CONF.
MEETING
location: children’s area | looking at book well one, second floor
OFFICES
MEDIA
CHILDREN
COMMUNITY
CAREER CENTER
CHILDREN’S
BOOK WELL two
low back windsor chair
OFFICES CONF.
OFFICES
CONF.
BOOKS
MEETING
BOOKS
MEETING
MEDIA
MEETING
location: thrid floor, reading area | book well two
BOOKS
Knoll | multigenerational chair CAREER
CHILDREN
COMMUNITY CENTER
CHILDREN’S
FORM DEVELOPMENT DIAGRAM
window
window
reading area
reading area
media
lounge area elevators
more book stacks
elevators
elevators
OFFICES CONF.
BOOKS
MEETING
BOOKS
MEETING SC: nts
book well two | reading
SC: nts
book well two | reading
BOOKS
CONF.
MEETING
book well two | media
OFFICES
MEDIA
CHILDREN
COMMUNITY
SC: nts CAREER CENTER
CHILDREN’S
BOOK-WELL TWO OBJECT DIAGRAM
OFFICES CONF.
OFFICES
BOOKS
CONF.
BOOKS
MEETING
BOOKS
MEETING
MEETING
MEDIA
CHILDREN
COMMUNITY
CAREER CENTER
CHILDREN’S
PERSPECTIVE
OFFICES CONF.
BOOKS
CONF.
BOOKS
MEETING
BOOKS
MEETING
MEETING
“the city” | media floor level looking up
OFFICES
MEDIA
CHILDREN
COMMUNITY
CAREER CENTER
CHILDREN’S
BOOK WELL three
OFFICES CONF.
BOOKS
CONF.
BOOKS
MEETING
BOOKS
MEETING
MEETING
location: fourth floor scholar book well three
OFFICES
MEDIA
CHILDREN
COMMUNITY
CAREER CENTER
CHILDREN’S
FORM DEVELOPMENT DIAGRAM
elevators
window
window
reading area
OFFICES CONF.
OFFICES
CONF.
BOOKS
MEETING
BOOKS
MEETING
MEETING
MEDIA
CHILDREN
COMMUNITY
CAREER CENTER book well three| reading
SC: nts
book well three| scholar
SC: nts
BOOKS
CHILDREN’S
BOOK-WELL THREE OBJECT DIAGRAM
OFFICES CONF.
OFFICES
BOOKS
CONF.
BOOKS
MEETING
BOOKS
MEETING
MEETING
MEDIA
CHILDREN
COMMUNITY
CAREER CENTER
CHILDREN’S
BOOK-WELL TESTING | LIGHTING ANALYSIS
BOOK-WELL TESTING | ACOUSTIC ANALYSIS
BOOK-WELL TESTING | LIGHTING ANALYSIS
Delray Lighting MR spotlight
Philips T8 LED
Delray Lighting | ASPECT 246
BOOK-WELL ONE | MODEL PHOTOS