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]

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.

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]

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]

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]

Boston Public Library’s new new torchieres for the iconic John Singer Sargent Gallery are celebrated in a feature in the January/February 2010 issue of Architectural Lighting magazine. As Joe Bille, the project’s interior designer, notes in the article, “Conceptually, Shepley’s design goal was to create a fixture that was not so much ‘in’ the space as ‘of’ the space … We used the Sargent murals themselves as a guide and source of inspiration.” The firm worked with Lam Partners of Cambridge on the lighting installation.

The gallery lighting is the ...[more]

The Howe Library in Hanover, New Hampshire, was one of three singled out for special mention in the February 1 issue of the Library Journal feature on “Best Small Libraries in America”. The winning entry was the Grand County Public Library in Moab, Utah.

The 18,700 s.f. Howe Library, which was originally designed by Shepley Bulfinch in 1974, was substantially renovated and expanded by the firm to accommodate the growing Hanover community and its changing needs. The design includes space for library and community activities, and features an expanded children’s room, a young adult room, and a reading loft.

Janette Blackburn and Joe Rondinelli discuss the changing roles and forms of libraries in the March 2010 issue of Building Design & Construction. In the article, they discuss how, as readers needs change and libraries accommodate more diverse uses, space, flexibility, and acoustical control play increasingly important roles.

The Evolving Library – Building Design & Construction