Fourteen months ago, the city of South Bend, Ind., unveiled its newly renovated Main Library that local officials were hopeful would expand economic activity and provide the community with more flexible meeting spaces.
A team that included Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA) had updated 85,000 sf of the existing 116,500-sf library, and added a new 40,000-sf Community Learning Center. This $40 million project, which occupies a 3.4-acre block, was a partnership between St. Joseph County, the city, and the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County.
The library, which before its renovation had been drawing more than 1,000 daily visitors, has been a magnetic force for downtown South Bend since at least the 1950s. That attraction was predicted to strengthen now that the library is connected to the standalone Community Learning Center (built on what had been a vacant lot) via a new outdoor courtyard. The Community Learning Center includes offices, classrooms, study spaces, a coffee shop, computer lab, and tech center with a maker space with recording studios, camera equipment, and 3D printing services.
“In the short time that the library has been back open to the public, it’s been amazing to witness firsthand how much the community has embraced this building and begun to make it their own,” said Trish Coleman, former Chief Public Service Officer at the St. Joseph County Public Library.
A city turning the corner
The library’s renovation included new windows combined with interior glass partitions. RAMSA collaborated with Boss design to create a children’s play area for learning and exploration. A teenage-focused exhibition space hosts rotating interactive displays.
The Building Team on this project included Arkos Design (AOR), Ziolkowski Construction (GC), Bulley & Andrews (CM), Circle Design Group (MEP and Civil engineering), Fink Roberts Petri (SE), Cerami & Associates (Security and Acoustics), Fisher Moranitz Stone (Lighting), Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (Envelope), and Custom Sound Designs (A/V).
The library’s renovation and expansion coincide with a decade-long revitalization of South Bend, home to Notre Dame University, which has recently seen growth in its population to an estimated 104,000. A planned removal of four cloverleafs and access ramps is prelude to an envisioned development of a 130-acre mixed-use district along the St. Joseph River that has already emerged as a culinary and event area.
Related Stories
| Jan 21, 2011
Library planned for modern media enthusiasts
The England Run Library, a new 30,000-sf glass, brick, and stone building, will soon house more than 100,000 books and DVDs. The Lukmire Partnership, Arlington, Va., designed the Stafford County, Va., library, the firm’s fourth for the Central Rappahannock Library System, to combine modern library-browsing trends with traditional library services.
| Nov 23, 2010
The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which will house the former president’s library
The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which will house the former president’s library and museum, plus the Bush Institute, is aiming for LEED Platinum. The 226,565-sf center, located at Southern Methodist University, in Dallas, was designed by architect Robert A.M. Stern and landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh.
| Nov 9, 2010
Designing a library? Don’t focus on books
How do you design a library when print books are no longer its core business? Turn them into massive study halls. That’s what designers did at the University of Amsterdam, where they transformed the existing 27,000-sf library into a study center—without any visible books. About 2,000 students visit the facility daily and encounter workspaces instead of stacks.
| Nov 3, 2010
Seattle University’s expanded library trying for LEED Gold
Pfeiffer Partners Architects, in collaboration with Mithun Architects, programmed, planned, and designed the $55 million renovation and expansion of Lemieux Library and McGoldrick Learning Commons at Seattle University. The LEED-Gold-designed facility’s green features include daylighting, sustainable and recycled materials, and a rain garden.
| Oct 13, 2010
Bookworms in Silver Spring getting new library
The residents of Silver Spring, Md., will soon have a new 112,000-sf library. The project is aiming for LEED Silver certification.
| Aug 11, 2010
JE Dunn, Balfour Beatty among country's biggest institutional building contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 50 Institutional Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Jacobs, Arup, AECOM top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 75 largest international design firms
A ranking of the Top 75 International Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants