Problem + Opportunity
Key issues:
-Lack of good, comfortable seating
-Lack of curated aesthetic
-Not drawing people in anymore
-Missing social spaces
We also recognized the value of the library currently, many users like the library as it is.
Research Insights
What users want:
-Support design work specifically
-Strong aesthetic identity
- Make it a destination
-Comfort = productivity
-Balance quiet + social
Introduce opportunity:
-Lack of good, comfortable seating → rethink seating
-Lack of curated aesthetic → create cohesive “Design student” orientated look
-Not drawing people in anymore → create a new door
-Missing social spaces → make a “conversation pit” area that is flexible, could be both social and individual
What if the Design Library wasn’t just a place to store books, but a place to rest, study and socialize?
The Designer’s Hearth
Keeping the currently value of the library and elevating to specifically useful for Designers.
Design Concept
Concept sketches:
Design Concept
Design Features + Improvements
Key interventions:
● Conversation pit
● Video room
● Door/Stairs to courtyard
● Modular seating
● Tech lending window
Logistic Values
● Little to no invasive, loud construction
● Not introducing overwhelming amounts of new equipment
● Closing off the library for the shortest amount of time
● Leaving what already works
Media Room
Rethinking Shelving
Individual Spaces
Conversation Corner
Additional Door
Interior Furniture Choices
Barcelona Chair
Knoll
Hobestluk bean bag chair
Tiered seating with modified bookshelves
Mid-century modern
Bar seats
Pollock Executive Chair
Art Choices
Students want curated “designer” style → include art on display that is historical to all schools of design
Conversation Corner:
Origins of Design
-Bauhaus
-Wassily Kandinsky
-Josef Albers
Media Room: Graphic
Design & MAD Tech
-Massimo Vignelli
-Paul Rand
Bar Seating: Industrial
Design
-Charles and Ray Eames
-Dieter Rams
Exterior of Offices:
Architecture
-Le Corbusier
-Zaha Hadid
-Frank Lloyd Wright
