ST PAUL, MN – Hamline University has selected Shepley Bulfinch as the architect of its new University Center, to be sited on a prominent corner of Hamline’s campus in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The 75,000-85,000 s.f. center will give the University a new welcoming face to the St. Paul community and a campus crossroads for Hamline, with its large commuter student population. It will include a campus ‘living room’, casual dining facilities, event space, a bookstore, and offices for student organizations.

Shepley Bulfinch will work with Hamline to create a sustainable building that will meet the equivalent of LEED Silver standards.

The project is planned for completion in late 2011.

by Janette S. Blackburn, AIA, LEED AP

Challenges and Issues in Designing an Information Commons

In “Breaking Down the Barriers to Working and Learning”, Janette Blackburn discusses design approaches that reflect evolving library service models. The paper was included as a chapter in the book, “A Field Guide to the Information Commons”, published by Scarecrow Press in February 2009.

BOSTON, MA – In promotions announced today, Janette S. Blackburn AIA LEED AP, was named a new Principal at Shepley Bulfinch. Joining the firm in 1989, her work includes projects for the Avery Art and Architecture Library and the Teachers College Library at Columbia University, Princeton University’s Firestone Library, and Fondren Library at Rice University. Janette is a member of the American Library Association (ALA) and the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP).

It was also announced that Melissa Bennett, Katherine Faulkner, and Ann Newman have been named Associate Principals. Melissa, who joined the firm in 2007, is a senior member of the firm’s library practice. Katie, who has been ...[more]

The Kanbar Campus Center at Philadelphia University was one of four student centers to receive the 2007 Facility Design Award of Excellence at the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) annual conference in Atlanta last month.

Entries were judged not only on the basis of the facilities’ appearance, but also on the process used to arrive at the design and how the new or renovated facility has impacted the campus.

The 75,000 s.f., $17 million Kanbar Campus Center opened in September 2006. Designed as a “campus street,” the building connects the university’s academic precinct with its recreation and athletic facilities. Its design, with a wall of windows, captures the natural setting and ...[more]

Janette Blackburn and Carole Wedge

This article appeared in the November 2005 issue of Information Outlook.

Design as Catalyst: Fostering Collaboration and Commuinity in Special Libraries