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
University Buildings | Jun 29, 2015
Ensuring today’s medical education facilities fit tomorrow’s healthcare
Through thought-leading design, medical schools have the unique opportunity to meet the needs of today’s medical students and more fully prepare them for their future healthcare careers. Perkins+Will’s Heidi Costello offers five key design factors to improve and influence medical education.
University Buildings | May 30, 2015
Texas senate approves $3 billion in bonds for university construction
For the first time in nearly a decade, Texas universities could soon have some state money for construction.
University Buildings | May 19, 2015
Special Report: How your firm can help struggling colleges and universities meet their building project goals
Building Teams that want to succeed in the higher education market have to help their clients find new funding sources, control costs, and provide the maximum value for every dollar.
University Buildings | May 19, 2015
Renovate or build new: How to resolve the eternal question
With capital budgets strained, renovation may be an increasingly attractive money-saving option for many college and universities.
University Buildings | May 19, 2015
KU Jayhawks take a gander at a P3 development
The P3 concept is getting a tryout at the University of Kansas, where state funding for construction has fallen from 20% of project costs to about 11% over the last 10 years.
University Buildings | May 5, 2015
Where the university students are (or will be)
SmithGroupJJR's Alexa Bush discusses changing demographics and the search for out-of-state students at public universities.
BIM and Information Technology | Apr 9, 2015
How one team solved a tricky daylighting problem with BIM/VDC tools, iterative design
SRG Partnership's Scott Mooney describes how Grasshopper, Diva, Rhino, and 3D printing were utilized to optimize a daylighting scheme at Oregon State University's new academic building.
Sponsored | University Buildings | Apr 8, 2015
Student Housing: The fight against mold starts in the bathroom
University Buildings | Apr 8, 2015
The competitive advantage of urban higher-ed institutions
In the coming years, urban colleges and universities will outperform their non-urban peers, bolstered by the 77 million Millennials who prefer to live in dense, diverse, and socially rich environments, writes SmithGroupJJR's Michael Johnson.
University Buildings | Mar 18, 2015
Academic incubators: Garage innovation meets higher education
Gensler's Jill Goebel and Christine Durman discuss the role of design in academic incubators, and why many universities are building them to foster student growth.
