Johns Hopkins marked a milestone in the completion of the Brody Learning Commons with a May 9 topping-off ceremony. The symbolic last steel beam, bearing hundreds of signatures of members of the Hopkins community, was hoisted into place at the end of the event.

It’s official! Salem State University (Salem, MA) broke ground for its new library and learning commons on December 7. University president Patricia Maguire Meservey and Jacob Segal, chair of the university’s board of trustees, were joined by local political leaders and top state education officials in a ceremony on the university’s north campus.

The 124,000 square foot facility replaces the previous campus library, which was closed in late 2007 for concerns about its structural safety. The four-story library will include instructional labs, group study rooms, and a testing center, and ...[more]

In a celebration today attended by Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and other dignitaries, the Atlanta University Center (AUC) rededicated the renovated Robert W. Woodruff Library, unveiling its interactive and technology-rich 21st century learning environment.

Shepley Bulfinch’s completion of the first phase of this major renovation included more than 130,000 square feet of the Woodruff Library’s 220,000 square foot facility. The renovation replaced many solid interior walls with glass panels, drawing natural light deep into the space.

The inviting and dynamic main floor, with its media creation and presentation space ...[more]

Tuscaloosa, AL – The University of Alabama today announced plans for an “extreme makeover”, implementing recommendations from Shepley Bulfinch’s recent library study to create a collaborative technology-rich learning environment for Gorgas Library. The redesign will integrate flexible seating, new lighting, and the creation of variety of individual and group learning spaces as part of the new Gorgas Library Learning Commons.

“We’re creating a communal space in a library where students and faculty come together to work, to do research, to get help from librarians, to get coffee…” said Gary Wasdin, assistant dean for the Library’s access and information services.

The library’s first floor, which is currently closed for renovation, is expected to ...[more]

CINCINNATI, OH – Xavier University was cited as a Cincinnati success story in an article published Friday in the Business Courier.

In the article Maribeth Amyot, Xavier’s Vice President for Financial Administration, discusses the financial challenges of undertaking major construction at particularly volatile economic time, and the press in surging student enrollment. This fall the school saw a 26 percent increase in the size of the freshman class.

Shepley Bulfinch is transforming Xavier’s campus with the completion of a series of new buildings that were proposed in a master plan prepared by the firm in 2006. The first phase, the new Hoff Academic Quad, is now under construction. It includes the ...[more]