April 7, 2017

UO library wins AIA award

Photos by Christian Columbres [enlarge]

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The University of Oregon Allan Price Science Commons & Research Library remodel/expansion in Eugene, Oregon, is one of eight winners of the 2017 AIA/ALA Library Building Awards.

The awards by the American Institute of Architects and the American Library Association recognize excellence in the architectural design of libraries.

In press release, AIA said that as the traditional role of libraries evolves, the designs of these community spaces have changed to reflect the needs of the surrounding residents. This, it said, is represented by the award winners, which are at http://tiny.cc/9pocky/.

The University of Oregon Allan Price Science Commons & Research Library remodel/expansion was designed by Opsis Architecture. The design was guided by feedback from the student body, which wanted a more user-friendly space with facilities for group work and peer-to-peer instruction.

The project added 4,000 square feet of new space atop a 48,000-square-foot underground library, and renovated the existing library.

Occupying a difficult site wedged between two buildings, sub-floor-to-high-ceiling windows illuminate the commons space with natural light. A new entry pavilion supplements a brutalist courtyard that exacerbated the subterranean conditions of the library and maximizes light below. A wood curtain wall sprouts organically in the courtyard, creating a calming forest atmosphere.

The project team included Listen Acoustics and The Sextant Group, acoustical consultants; Code Unlimited, code consultant; Rider Levett Bucknall, cost consultant; SOLARC Energy Group, energy consultant; BHEGroup, civil engineer; Systems West Engineers, electrical and mechanical engineer; Catena Consulting Engineers, structural engineer; Morrison Hershfield, envelope consultant; Andersen Construction, general contractor; Anderson Krygier, graphic design consultant; JLC Architectural Consulting, landscape architecture and planning specifications; and Cameron McCarthy, landscape consultant.