Modern architecture is known for its sleek, streamlined design, but it’s also often been aptly characterized as being cold and sterile. In Perth, Australia’s Curtin University, one such building is getting a major makeover.
The TL Robertson Library, which has two million users per year, is being revamped by Danish architectural firm Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, with the help of Australian architecture firm Hames Sharley. The changes are meant to help the building be more user-friendly and also fit better into the green campus.
Constructed in 1972, the library was originally designed with little natural daylight to protect the books and other materials in its collection. Now, Schmidt Hammer Lassen is designing a “living library” by opening up new pathways for visual and physical connectivity in the building, while bringing in more natural light. The new open design is expected to better meet needs of users.
Green spaces and tree-lined walkways characterize Curtin University’s campus. With the TL Robertson Library centrally located on the campus, which makes it a natural focal point, the school’s leaders wanted to take better advantage of that location and the possibilities inherent in the building.
The new architectural design will invite the landscape in, using timber and other natural materials to enhance the warmth of the building. Elongated windows are meant to provide better views of trees in the adjacent park.
With its redesign, the library will fit the goals of the university and its staff and students.
“We were driven by three core principles when designing TL Robertson Library: openness, access and well-being,” said Morten Schmidt, Founding Partner of Schmidt Hammer Lassen. “The redevelopment complements the building’s original features with bold, contemporary architectural interventions that focus on warm, natural materiality, and contrast the current structure with open lightness.”
The warmth that will be engendered by the library’s redesign also is expected to encourage the space to be more often used as a community gathering spot, too.
“This project will support the TL Robertson Library’s role as a key meeting place and activity centre on Curtin’s Perth Campus and its transformation into a place for digital innovation and social collaboration for students, staff, and the wider community,” said Professor Deborah Terry, Vice-Chancellor at Curtin University.
Related Stories
| Jun 1, 2012
New BD+C University Course on Insulated Metal Panels available
By completing this course, you earn 1.0 HSW/SD AIA Learning Units.
| Jun 1, 2012
K-State Olathe Innovation Campus receives LEED Silver
Aspects of the design included a curtain wall and punched openings allowing natural light deep into the building, regional materials were used, which minimized the need for heavy hauling, and much of the final material included pre and post-consumer recycled content.
| May 31, 2012
2011 Reconstruction Award Profile: Seegers Student Union at Muhlenberg College
Seegers Student Union at Muhlenberg College has been reconstructed to serve as the core of social life on campus.
| May 31, 2012
New School’s University Center in NYC topped out
16-story will provide new focal point for campus.
| May 31, 2012
Perkins+Will-designed engineering building at University of Buffalo opens
Clad in glass and copper-colored panels, the three-story building thrusts outward from the core of the campus to establish a new identity for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the campus at large.
| May 29, 2012
Reconstruction Awards Entry Information
Download a PDF of the Entry Information at the bottom of this page.
| May 24, 2012
2012 Reconstruction Awards Entry Form
Download a PDF of the Entry Form at the bottom of this page.
| May 9, 2012
Shepley Bulfinch given IIDA Design award for Woodruff Library?
The design challenges included creating an entry sequence to orient patrons and highlight services; establishing a sense of identity visible from the exterior; and providing a flexible extended-hours access for part of the learning commons.
| May 8, 2012
Morgan/Harbour completes three projects at Columbia Centre
Projects completed on behalf of property owner, White Oak Realty Partners, LLC, Pearlmark Realty Partners, LLC and Angelo Gordon & Co.
| May 7, 2012
2012 BUILDING TEAM AWARDS: TD Ameritrade Park
The new stadium for the College World Series in Omaha combines big-league amenities within a traditional minor league atmosphere.