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Rebuilding School Library

By J_Soll | 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.

Presently, our library is a good size with a lot of potential. Sadly, our library fails to have a lot of books that the students can access. So, for the redesign my library challenge, I will knock down both walls so the library feels more open to students and it leaves more room to put bookshelves on the bare walls. I will also add more tables instead of couches so it will be a more efficient studying space rather than people trying to use a coach for support. Not only that, but I feel as though our library could use more computers. For example, when others are using the library, we only have like eight so most people can't use them. But I feel as though I can add more computers to make it more student-friendly and a better environment to be in. Lastly, I will add more windows to make our space seem more open and add a small bit of furniture here and there/ clear all the clutter and junk because it makes our library look like an engineer's hoard room. Like I said before, the size is great, but the accessibility is poor. So the goal of this challenge is to make our library to be more open and technologically advanced.

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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.

J_Soll's work for the Collect Information step:

Summary
All in all, our library has a lot of things wrong about it, but it has a lot of potential. By fixing the walls, and extending the space, we can have many people enter our library and enjoy it.
Our library has no books. To fulfill the requirements of being a library, you need books. After...
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Our library contains couches that take up about 1/6 of the library's space. In my opinion, it...
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There is a lot of robotic clutter around. In our library,we have a table where you can build things...
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Our school has a marine biology class and it would beneficial for us to have some fish tanks to the...
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Our library is not "nice" to look at. The paint on the walls is faded, and so is the...
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Our library only has 2 3d printers. This is a too small of a number for students to use because one...
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Our library can hold up to 45-50 people comfortably, but we could potentially hold more people. It...
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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.

J_Soll's work for the Brainstorm Ideas step:

Summary
All in all, by implementing these ideas into our library, we can find a lot of success.
We could add bookshelves to the walls and open spaces to make our library space more efficient in...
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Potentially, I could extend the walls and ceiling of the library so it could accommodate more...
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Replacing the couches with tables and chairs would make our library more appealing to the eye and...
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Repainting our walls and ceilings would make our library look much better to visitors and the...
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Adding fish tanks to our library would really benefit our marine biology class. Not only that, but...
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Adding several more 3d printers to the classroom. This would heavily take a toll on the budget (if...
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Adding a small engineering room for robotic clutter would give more space and make our library look...
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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.

J_Soll's work for the Develop Solutions step:

Summary
Although I was unable to make the second room for robotic clutter, I was able to fix all of the other problems.
I added the bookshelves against the walls to make our library both efficient and attractive.
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I extended the walls but not the ceiling. The height of the roof was okay, but I knew I needed to...
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I replaced couches with tables. By doing this, I made the library open for more people to use. But...
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I was unable to get the 3D printers to fit in the design since the computer area took up the most...
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I added fish tanks to our library by putting huge tanks so that it splits the library between...
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I was unable to get the room for robotic clutter in the design, and it came at the cost of the...
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I repainted the walls and ceilings to give a library more of a quiet tone feel. The wood makes our...
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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.

J_Soll's work for the Final Design step:

Summary
I figured this would be the best design due to its relaxing elements and neat designs.
In my final design, I added this doorway because it allows many students to get in and out all at...
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This is where I decided to put the bookshelves in my final design. By putting them against the back...
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I had to add the fish tanks in my final design for it benefits our marine biology class which I...
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This is the computer area for my final design. I slimmed it down from our regular library because...
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The librarian's view of the library in the new desk. This new desk would allow her to see all...
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A close look on the window that makes the room feel more open. Another thing shown is in the...
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The seating area of my design. This was what I talked most about since it was a recurring problem....
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