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HONORABLE MENTION: 2013 national competition project | Library Redesign #255

By aspero | L Redesign your school library

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Design Challenge Background

Libraries are no longer being used as places to store and distribute books, nor do they serve as place for only studying. With changes in technology libraries have been forced to change their ways of operating and instead of closing their doors they are adapting by becoming People-Centric instead of being Book-Centric. They become community resources for collaborating, creating, and making.

Design Challenge Brief

The challenge is to redesign your high school library and re-think how your school’s library should, or could, function as technology advances and our notion of study and working changes accordingly. What does a library look like that is designed around a person’s knowledge needs instead of only storing and cataloging books?

You may redesign the interior of the existing library space, expand on the existing space, or design a completely new addition on to your school building. Your design should contain all the spaces and functions required for a typical school library – a variety of seating options for students (inside and out!), as well as book and media storage, space for the librarian, computer areas, audio/visual labs, and meeting spaces. You may also want to include a cafe, information kiosk, or a workshop area. The redesigned library should include ideas for both old and new ideas for a library. You should also consider sustainability issues and the environmental impact of your design.

What should I upload in this Overview step?

Write a short description of the problems you will be trying to solve in redesigning your school library.

What is the Design Process?

How do you start a project? How do you get from the design problem to the final design? Learn more about the design process here.

Redisigning the high school library to make it more modern and to accommodate the needs of teaching and learning for the modern student as well as a place to study, do research, hang out, and relax, all within the boundaries of the library.

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In the Collect Info step of the design process, you try to gather as much information as possible about your existing school library, along with the students and staff who will use it.  You can't propose new solutions until you figure out and document what the existing problems are.

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Think About

 

  • How many students need to be seated in the library during one period?
  • What types of furniture is used in the existing library? Does it need to be movable? Why or why not?

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  • Interview students, librarians, and other staff about what they think of the existing library.  What changes would they make to spaces if they had a choice?
  • Make a list of those features that you really like about how your library looks and functions.
  • Make separate list of all the ways that your current library is not so well designed (chairs may be uncomfortable or the light is poor, or there are really great outdoor reading areas).

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  • Take measurements of the overall dimensions of your existing library.
  • Take interior photos of the hallways and entrances that lead into your existing library.

Think About

  • What are the different pathways that students use to get into the library now?
  • What types of media are available in your library? How are they stored? Are books an important part of your library?

 

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  • Visit Flickr or another photo sharing site and search for other types of libraries to determine good and bad examples of how libraries accommodate user’s needs, especially teens. 
  • Post images of buildings, colors, designs, textures, or other things that inspire you in this step. Make sure you give credit to your source!

Think About

  • Does your new school library need to look like the same typical library with long stack of books?  What other study spaces around the world are inspiring and interesting?

What should I upload in this Collect Info step?

Consider uploading photos, a short video, and a site plan drawing of your existing school library. Help us understand the existing conditions and the location of this room.

How do I collect Information?

How can collecting information help me with the design problem? Learn ways to collect information that will help you with the design process here.

aspero's work for the Collect Information step:

Summary
A few kids from my school we working on this project, so what we did was that we grouped together to fidn out the dimensions for our current library.
Outside view of the building going straight back from the entrance to the wall that is 15'...
3 comments
View of the left side of the building (part of the empty classroom and the books), outside has...
1 comment
View of the entrance to the library. Has windows for students passing by to look through, along...
1 comment
The view of the library from the back (the windows on the outside of the building). You can see all...
3 comments
This is where a majority of the books are stored. You can see the rows apon rows of books. In the...
1 comment
Here is a view of behind the librarians desk. As you can see it shows a door behind the desk that...
1 comment
Heere is a picture of the computer lab. In it is rows of computers, along with a teachers desk in...
2 comments

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In the Brainstorm Ideas step of the design process, you put some early ideas down on paper that show what you've found in the Collect Info step.  You also might take more photos to show specific new ideas you have. 

The simple diagrams you make here will help you understand how the existing library location and design compare with your new ideas.

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  • Walk around the exterior of your school building and take photos of possible locations for your new library with outdoor seating.
  • Draw a floorplan of your existing library and include it in this step.
  • You may also want to include a site plan of your school, showing where the library fits into the school.

Think About

  • Will this library replace your school's existing library or become an addition to a different part of the building? Will it be built in an empty lot or space?  Will it be underground or built on the roof?  You decide.

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  • Use Google Maps to view and print out an aerial photo of your school. 

Think About

  • Spend some time looking at the aerial photo of your school.  What types of other buildings surround your school?  Homes, businesses, parks, parking lots, or an empty field?  How will these other buildings impact the design of your new library?
  • What types of streets surround your school? Are they busy or quiet?     

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  • On a piece of tracing paper placed over the aerial photo of your school, sketch a diagram showing a large arc around the building to show the path of the sun throughout the day.  This drawing is called a site analysis diagram.  (Remember, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.)
  • Draw other lines on this diagram to indicate the best views around the building.

Think About

  • Based on the site analysis diagram you've sketched, where is the sun located throughout the school day? 
  • How can the indoor and outdoor seating areas of your new library be positioned to take advantage of the sunlight for good lighting?

What should I upload in this Brainstorm Ideas step?

Consider uploading hand sketches or a quick study model of all your first ideas. You can scan these drawings or take photos of your model.

How do I brainstorm ideas?

Brainstorming ideas is your first step towards making an informed decision to the design solution. Learn more about that here.

aspero's work for the Brainstorm Ideas step:

Summary
What I plan on doing for this project is to make our library more modern.
The furniture for the desks/tables/chairs inside the is in pretty good condition, however rather...
2 comments
A schematic of the the school featuring the library and its surrounding rooms. We can use this to...
0 comments
A picture of what is inside the empty classroom, room 502. As of now, it is an office/storage space...
0 comments
Overhead view of the library and surrounding space from Google Maps. The library is circled in pink...
3 comments
I interviewed the librarians and they said that the era of libraries is changing. They wanted less...
0 comments
0 comments

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In the Develop Solutions step, your rough ideas come together with drawings and models that can show others your solutions for a new library.

Important! Since DiscoverDesign is about investigating the design process, the other people viewing your project - other students around the country, your teacher, and the mentors - want to see how your ideas have changed over time. This means that while you're working on your digital model, you’ll want to be sure to keep re-saving it with a new file name every few days as you work through the steps.

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  • Draw a sketch or use software such as Google SketchUp, AutoCAD, or Revit to illustrate your ideas.  You can upload photos (JPG files) from your SketchUp model, video fly throughs (FLV files) of your SketchUp model, or drawings (DWF files) from AutoCAD.

 

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  • Consider including the following types of spaces and furnishings:
    - indoor seating area (tables, seating)
    - outdoor seating area (tables, seating)
    - book storage (shelves)
    - media storage
    - audio / visual labs
    - computers
    - meeting spaces
    - librarian desk (place to check out or return materials)
    - small office for library staff
    - cafe
    - bins for recycyling

What should I upload in this Develop Solutions step?

Consider uploading images (JPG, GIF) of your rough digital model. It's ok if your model is still a work in progress. Show an axonometric or perspective view with people, which will help others understand the scale of your library.

aspero's work for the Develop Solutions step:

Summary
So what i have decided to do was to take the room that wasn't being used and turn it into a little cafe, like it used to be.
A Rough draft of the floor plan we were able to creat from gathering all of our data. That is what...
0 comments
Here I decidedd on what I was going to do with the library. in the red zone, I want to remove the...
2 comments
Here is a floor plan of my library in revit with all my ideas put in place. One can see the on the...
0 comments
This is what I have decided to do with the 502 room. I turned it into a cafe. I have hot/cold units...
1 comment
He is a draft of the courtyard area. What I have set up is 4 groups of 4 tables all covered by one...
0 comments
I took everything out of the library and decided where to place my computers. I found this to be...
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This floor plan shows where i have placed the book cases. The area on the left is half filled with...
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The final step of the design process is to create more finished drawings that illustrate your ideas to others. Remember, your explanation text, and the types of drawings, images, and models you share need to tell the whole story of your project to someone who may or may not have ever visited your school.

 

 

Continue to collect feedback from your peers, teachers and the online community to help you improve on your final design. Be sure to review and add constructive comments on the work of other students who are solving the same design problem. If your ideas change, be sure to explain your thinking and let others know about the new work you have posted to your account.

You might want to share floor plans, elevations, renderings of your digital model, photos of a physical model, or a video animation of your model.

But you aren't done yet! Be sure to comment on other projects in the competition to foster, encourage, and build an online design community of learners in DiscoverDesign.  CAF will also recognize students that provide both encouragement and constructive criticism on students' work throughout the run of the competition.

What should I upload in this Final Design step?

Consider uploading final hand or digital renderings, images of your finished physical model, or your finished digital model (as a DWF file).

How do I know I have my final design?

Consider all of the design considerations you made in your last step. Use feedback from students, teachers, and mentors to finalize your design. Learn more about finishing your design here.

aspero's work for the Final Design step:

Summary
My final design is my vision of a modern library, interpreted to make a students time in their worth while, and create a fun, learning atmosphere.
A good view of the final product from the outside with the roof on. As one can see, the windows in...
1 comment
Here is a view of the floor plan from the top with everything inside it. I made a key that explains...
0 comments
This is a view of the courtyard. In the courtyard, we can see a number of tables set up around a...
0 comments
This is a 3D view of the Cafe. In the cafe one can see the hot/cold cases forming the line to...
2 comments
This is a 3-D version from the entrance looking straight back of the library. As you cans see,...
2 comments
This is a picture of the left half of the library. This whole area used to be full of bookcases....
1 comment
This is the right side of the library. This area used to have a few book cases and lounge chairs so...
0 comments

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