The design team of Shepley Bulfinch of Boston and Lake|Flato Architects of San Antonio has begun schematic design for Austin’s New Central Library.

A destination and a city landmark in the making, the New Central Library will welcome residents to a facility that emphasizes the delivery of information in both electronic and book formats, and includes a mix of lively and contemplative spaces. Collections will be displayed to encourage discovery, supported by state-of-the-art technologies integrated throughout the facility.

“What will the library need to be 30 years from now? In 2009, we could not have envisioned the astonishing development of e-books, tablets, and smartphones in 2010,” said Sid Bowen, managing principal of ...[more]

The city of Show Low, Arizona, is buzzing about its new public library and council chambers, and is celebrating the opening with an open house, live radio broadcast, and ribbon cutting ceremony on August 17.

City manager Ed Muder said, “We’re happy to hear so many positive comments from our citizens and library patrons about this beautiful new facility. This is the first phase in our long-term plans for a civic center that will serve our citizens for many years to come.”

The library, which opened to the public earlier ...[more]

Four of Shepley Bulfinch’s academic library clients topped the rankings for “Best College Library” in the 2010 Princeton Review survey of students at 373 top US colleges and universities. The four current or recent clients are Harvard (#1); Duke (#2); Princeton (#3), and Colgate (#4). In addition, Furman University, where the firm completed the 2004 LEED Gold Duke Library addition and renovation, was ranked #12.

Rankings were determined by responses from over 122,000 students to the survey question “How do you rate your school’s library facilities?”.

Colgate also came in ...[more]

Construction continues on the new public library in Show Low, Arizona, with an anticipated opening this summer.

Designed by Merzproject of Phoenix, now a studio of Shepley Bulfinch, the library uses masonry and laminated timber construction that reflects the wood barn tradition of the region’s White Mountains. The design reflects an environmentally conscious approach to the project. A 150-foot long clerestory window brings daylight deep into the main hall, while other sustainable features include the use low-VOC and recycled-content finishes, high-efficiency plumbing and mechanical equipment, and regional materials, such as Arizona stone.

The new ...[more]

In early November I attended the Educause 2009 conference in Denver and a series of discussions about technology and higher education. I left with three takeaways that warrant further reflection and discussion:

- What’s the relationship between the current higher education budgetary crisis and shifts in IT/ Library organizational structures and service philosophies?

- Seventy percent of scholarly research in the humanities is now being published digitally. In the transition from print to digital library collections, are academic libraries at a tipping point?

- What does the word “library” mean today? As library facilities expand to include programs for student life, student success, teaching excellence, and technology support, does the building type need ...[more]

WELLESLEY, MA, – Shepley Bulfinch joins Wellesley College as the College marks the 100th anniversary of the Margaret Clapp Library with a reception and the opening of a retrospective photo exhibit at the library on October 21.

The original Library building was designed by the firm (then named Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge) in 1909 and funded in part by Andrew Carnegie. In 1975, it was named for Margaret Clapp, Wellesley’s eighth president (1949-66).

The cornerstone of the Classical Revival library was laid on June 5, 1909. The library opened to students on March 30, 1910, and was formally dedicated on June 13, 1910, the birthday of the Pauline Durant, wife of the ...[more]

AUSTIN, TX – Austin, TX (December 11, 2008) – In their meeting today, the Austin City Council selected the team of Shepley Bulfinch and Lake|Flato to design the city’s new $90 million Central Library.

With 250,000 sf of space, the new library wil more than double the space of the city’s 110,000 sf John Henry Faulk Central Library, which was built in 1979.

As part of the design process, Austin Public Library in conjunction with the Library Commission and the Austin Public Library Foundation will actively seek citizen input through a series of public design charrettes. The library is scheduled to open in mid-2014.

AUSTIN, TX – The architecture team of Lake|Flato and Shepley Bulfinch was one of three finalists to present to Austin City Council on October 23 for the design and construction of the city’s new 250,000 sf Central Library.

Austin’s daily e-newswire, In Fact News, reported: “Few firms represent the organic Hill Country feel of architecture better than Lake|Flato… [And] it’s not surprising that Lake|Flato would feature sustainable strategies front and center in its library plans… The location of the library, on a key block right on Lady Bird Lake, plays well to Lake|Flato’s strengths… In its presentation to Council, the firm spoke of architecture rooted to the land with seamless ...[more]