The Globus Design Associates Blog

Libraries in the Digital and Sustainable Age

Photo: Suzan Globus

I was asked to design a special area to attract young adults in a public library by library board members who lamented, "Kids don't read books anymore," while wondering what effect this assumption will have on public libraries in the future.  Coincidentally, one of my Design for Sustainability students submitted a paper on the effects of e-readers on libraries and I was interested to read his view regarding the need for libraries.

Typical of many library users, he said that the library was the coolest place he had ever visited as a child because it was, "crammed with anything and everything you wanted to know about."  To him, the fact that Amazon made library e-books available on Kindle was a signal of the need for libraries in the digital age.  He also felt that the continual use of the millions of library buildings around the world allows for optimization of our built environment in relationship to sustainability.  Contrary to the opinion of the my library board clients, this college student stated that he is partial of physical books and will continue to use the library for that purpose only.  Libraries have a wonderful opportunity to build on that sense of discovery that engages people of all ages by offering "anything and everything" people want to know about in both physical and digital formats in an environment that is designed to both stimulate them and support them in their quest.

Sustainable Design Collaboration Begins in the Classroom

Design for Sustainability classroom at Kean University. Photo: Suzan Globus

I've accepted a position teaching Design for Sustainability II to Earth Science and Interior Design and Industrial Design majors at Kean University.  I am especially excited to be teaching sustainability to this mix of students because interior designers recognize the need to collaborate with scientists to document the effects of interior design on the environment and building occupants in order to better understand the value of design.  Hats off to Kean for combining these disciplines in the classroom to enable the students to learn from each other and carry their comfort with collaboration into the workplace after they graduate.  Case study, anyone?

Back Roads Reveal Historic Preservation, Restoration and Adaptive Reuse

Serendipity is one of the best rewards of travel. On a recent trip through the Blue Ridge Mountains, I  encountered examples of historic preservation, renovation and adaptive reuse where people understand the "reuse" part of sustainability. A double rainbow announced what lay ahead.
Photo: Suzan Globus

Photo: Suzan Globus

The public library in Shepherdstown, W.V. is tucked into the former circa 1800 headquarters for the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Photo: Suzan Globus

The library is centrally located in the center of Shepherdstown's commercial hub, West German Street, a restored historic district.

Further south in New Market, VA., I happened upon a retired fireman, who is a descendant of Dr. Soloman Henkel, engaged in lovingly restoring his relative's former home.

 
Photo: Suzan Globus

According to this plaque on the home's exterior, I was given a much more gracious reception than the Yankee soldiers who came to town.

Photo: Suzan Globus

In what was the front parlor of the original home, thin sheet rock which allows for a reveal around the fluted door casing is being considered in lieu of repairing the plaster walls.

Photo: Suzan Globus

The stylized dentil frieze and angular corner blocks on the door casing echo the trompe l'oeil panels in the newer front parlor and are of a grand scale compared to the more modest bullseye corner blocks and trim surrounding the original six panel interior door above.

Photo: Suzan Globus

The cracked painted plaster ceiling presents some restoration challenges.

Images of the original interior design are guiding the renovation.

Photo: Suzan Globus

The next project for the fireman/renovator is Dr. Henkel's pharmacy behind the house.

 

Climate Change Reminder of Interior Designer's Role

Photo: Suzan Globus

An angry sun was trying to get its last licks in on a sweltering day during my 7:30 pm ferry commute from NYC yesterday. The excessive heat reminds me of the responsibility I have as an interior designer to reduce my clients' impact on climate change by weaving sustainability throughout each project.

So thanks, Builder's Exchange Magazine for the good bytes on the Rock Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Library and Archives  that we designed and is being submitted for LEED-CI.

 

Tips to reduce paper in the office

We pulled the plug on the fax machine years ago.  We found we were buying and using paper to receive unsolicited menus, mostly. We operate a "paperless" office but are always looking for ways to increase sustainable practices. Reducing the amount of paper in the workplace benefits all businesses, not just libraries.  Here are a couple of quick tips:

Photo: Suzan Globus

1. If your in-box looks like this stack which represents a fraction of the deluge of catalogues and junk mail we used to receive, my favorite way to make it stop is to register at Catalogue Choice.  The free registration lets you select the unsolicited mail you don't want to receive.  Let the sender do the recycling.

Photo: Suzan Globus

2. Accidentally printing on a check left in the printer is only one small reason to bank on line.  When you consider the resources needed to purchase and store checks and receipts and print and mail them, it's difficult to justify paper checks.

Bid Opening in Historic Surroundings

It's not unusual for me to attend a municipal bid opening. Many of our library interior design projects are for public libraries and we routinely prepare public bid packages for them.
Photo: Suzan Globus

It's a rare treat to find municipal offices housed in the likes of a restored former home of John Jacob Astor IV where the Bernards Township administrative offices are located.  These people truly understand the "reuse" part of sustainability.

 

Bernards Township, located in Somerset County, NJ is characterized by lush rolling hills dotted by estates on former farmland. The Bernards Township administrative offices are based in this English Tudor home gifted to the town in 1968 by John Jacob Astor VI who was born here shortly after his father perished in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.

 
Photo: Suzan Globus

This dining room turned meeting room created the most genteel environment for a bid opening I have ever encountered.

Photo: Suzan Globus

The staircase provides access to second floor offices. And while I'm thinking of some of the reasons why New Jersey is called "The Garden State", check out my spring greenery photos in Lauren Mattia's The Real Jersey Shore video on Rumson Patch.

 

Sustainability Scenarios Have Implications for Libraries

Steelcase invited me to participate in a strategic planning session about the future of sustainability in their New York showroom this week.  We designers were asked to create scenarios.  Scenarios are developed from identifying trends and uncertainties. Sustainability uncertainties include who will hold the influence to drive sustainability and what will be the intensity of interest in the future.

Trends

After we identified trends, I found these especially relevant to libraries:

• the rise of individualism
• pervasive information and ease of access to it
• increasing interest in well being
• sourcing products and services locally 
• the pressure for businesses to innovate to distinguish themselves in the marketplace

Communities of Interest

I reaffirmed my conviction to encourage my firm's public library clients to form communities of interest in sustainability among their library customers.  Public libraries have a wonderful opportunity to provide information resources and educational programming about sustainability and expand their brand of being a valuable resource to their communities.

Creative Library Interior Design Makes a Difference

There is an increase in media coverage about libraries recently with the advent of Architectural Record's spotlight on libraries and a public library winning one of Metropolis magazine's Smart Environments awards.  Using the stories to take a quick pulse on the state of notable library design shows the contribution good interior design can make.

Take, for example, the lobby of Minneapolis' Roseville Branch Library, a winner of the Metropolis contest compared to the lobby of Amsterdam Library, Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam. For context, the Roseville Branch Library is a renovation and addition unlike the Amsterdam Library which was a new construction. The Roseville Branch Library earned a LEED Gold rating.  Although Europe is decades ahead of the US in green building principles, it is unclear which were employed in designing the Amsterdam library.

Similarly, the two facilities contain dramatic two story spaces dedicated to materials display and browsing with clerestory windows, natural light, indirect lighting and white walls.  Given a similar "shell", compare the results of the interior design of each space.

 
Roseville Branch Library  Metropolismag.com Lara Swimmer
 
Openbare Bilbliotheek Amsterdam Photo:arkitip.com

Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam.  Photo: Shelley Berstein

The  interior design of the open, semi-circular materials displays for the Amsterdam library creates pockets of intrigue which invite exploration in the Amsterdam Library. The Roseville Branch Library display fixtures are visible at a glance.  Decorative pendant lighting and column mounted sconces  avoid washing the space with a uniform, flat light and mimic the highlights occuring in nature. The furnishings, floor plan and lighting in both spaces create a significant impact on the library user's experience. Which space would you prefer to use?

Library Takes Practical Approach to Sustainability

Image from www.chicagonow.com

As a long time advocate about the opportunity for public libraries to become a resource for the sustainability community, I am happy to see  Sayreville Public Library's creative approach to building a community of interest around sustainability.  With the support of the N J State Library, Sayreville will be lending Kill A Watt, a device to monitor the electricity used by an appliance.  The plug-in device monitors the appliance's kilowatt-hours to help in assessing if the air conditioner, for example, is operating efficiently and worth keeping.  The library plans to display the devices in see through hanger bags like the ones used for children's media. 

One library trustee jokingly wondered if the devices may trigger disputes among household members about their room temperature.  Perhaps the library could loan mediators, too.

How To Decide Who Will Build the Library Circ Desk

Unless their circulation desk is ordered from a catalogue, most libraries will have to purchase a circulation desk custom made for their needs about once every 10-20 years.  How does the staff decide who is qualified to fabricate the desk?

 
Circulation Desk ADA Section.  Design by Globus Design Associates

1.  Before your start the process, hire an interior design professional to design the desk to your exact requirements.  The design professional can show you how to achieve a well made, sustainable, desk with flexibility to meet changing requirements.

2.  Submit shop drawings to three fabricators.

Circulation Desk perspective.  Globus Design Associates

The lowest bid may not be the best, so investigate by asking the following questions:

1. Can the fabricator supply references?  If so, call and ask about his/her/performance.

2. Ask how the fabricator guarantees the work and what procedure is followed in case of a problem.

3. Understand the main business of the fabricator.  If it is a shop that specializes in school furniture, for example, will your project languish during the summer months while the shop is busy filling orders for schools?

4. Make sure the fabricator is not subbing out the job to an cabinet shop unknown to you.

5. Ask if you can see the desk in progress. 

If you hire a designer to oversee this process, all of these questions and more will be addressed by the designer including approving finish samples before final production begins.  A circulation desk is a big investment for a library.  It's best to avoid surprises and ensure the desk you want is what will be delivered.