{"id":1532,"date":"2025-05-06T19:07:04","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T19:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/perkinseastmanthenarrative.com\/summer2025\/?page_id=1532"},"modified":"2025-06-18T15:27:28","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T15:27:28","slug":"here-comes-the-sun","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/perkinseastmanthenarrative.com\/summer2025\/design-lab\/here-comes-the-sun\/","title":{"rendered":"Here Comes the Sun"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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here comes the<\/span> <\/span>sun<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Light-filled renovations reinvigorate aging academic libraries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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BY PAMELA MOSHER<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Natural light will flood the Columbia University Law Library\u2019s double-height reading room. \u00a9 PERKINS EASTMAN<\/figcaption>\n\n\n\n
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As college and university construction proliferated with the end of World War II, the benefits of the GI Bill, and the start of the Baby Boom, there was a surge in the establishment of new academic libraries. Shaped by the confluence of postwar optimism and Cold War brutalism, many libraries of this period focused inward, creating both a quiet place for study and research and a repository for books\u2014along with impenetrable-looking exteriors, limited fenestration, and a negligible response to context. More than half a century later, many of these buildings merit rehabilitation to meet contemporary programming and study predilections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRenovating midcentury academic libraries requires a strategic balancing of the priorities set by librarians, facilities teams, and university leadership,\u201d observes Principal Gili Meerovitch, who co-\u2060leads Perkins Eastman\u2019s libraries practice. \u201cThese projects must respect the historical and architectural significance of the original structures while addressing modern demands such as technology integration and user-centered spaces. Through thoughtful reimagining, these libraries can continue to shape the academic experience while fostering innovation and belonging.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alignment with current library practices is the goal of three of the firm\u2019s recent renovation projects: Columbia University\u2019s Law Library<\/a> in New York City, Colorado College\u2019s Charles L. Tutt Library<\/a> in Colorado Springs, and Johns Hopkins University\u2019s Milton S. Eisenhower Library<\/a> in Baltimore. Improvements include the introduction of natural light, prioritization of accessibility and comfort, broadened programmatic potential, and implementation of performance strategies and systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Use of wood, marble, and low-VOC finishes support the project\u2019s sustainability goals. \u00a9 PERKINS EASTMAN<\/figcaption>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The library is located in Jerome L. Greene Hall. \u00a9 PERKINS EASTMAN<\/figcaption>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n
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The former reading room had low ceilings and few seating options, and the stacks were cramped and artificially illuminated. \u00a9 PERKINS EASTMAN<\/figcaption>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

Law Library at Columbia University<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Columbia University\u2019s Law Library has remained largely unchanged since it opened in 1961, despite significant shifts in learning styles, technologies, postures, and expectations for libraries. Located in Jerome L. Greene Hall, which was designed by Max Abramovitz of Harrison & Abramovitz, it is currently undergoing a transformation across three levels of its existing stacks and reading areas. Principal Mindy No, serving as project manager, is leading the renovation to reimagine the law library as a marquee space that reflects its central role in student learning, groundbreaking scholarship, and community engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe former library,\u201d she notes, \u201chad low ceilings, dark interiors, outdated finishes, narrow corridors, and limited seating and study options.\u201d To introduce more natural light into the interior, a double-height reading room was created through strategic demolition of the floor slabs, along with added steel column reinforcements. The new space takes advantage of the existing glazing to frame expansive views of the surrounding campus and the university\u2019s main quad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project team, she says, \u201chad to navigate design and technical challenges presented by conditions that were not reflected in the historical as-built drawings as well as concerns about the concrete slab\u2019s integrity.\u201d For example, \u201cdemolition and removal of the floor finish revealed that certain slab locations were crumbling, which required removal and replacement with new slab and steel.\u201d The result is a bold repositioning of the library to accommodate diverse learning styles and user experiences in a sustainable, collaborative, and inclusive environment. Flexible seating options are distributed throughout, and wide stairways facilitate connections between levels. In its pursuit of LEED Gold for Commercial Interiors, the team employed biophilic strategies, incorporating natural materials such as marble, wood, terrazzo, and metals, along with low-VOC finishes and recycled content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This project represents one of the most significant capital investments in the history of the law school, helping Columbia maintain its Tier 1 status. When the library reopens later this year, it will serve as a model for peer institutions nationwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Milton S. Eisenhower Library\u2019s east-facing entry vestibule looking onto \u201cThe Beach,\u201d an adjacent grassy area, has been redesigned to be more welcoming and accessible. \u00a9 PERKINS EASTMAN<\/figcaption>\n\n\n\n

Milton S. Eisenhower Library at Johns Hopkins University<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Facing similar challenges, the Milton S. Eisenhower Library, designed by Wrenn, Lewis and Jencks, is undergoing its first major renovation since its completion in 1964. The project aims to transform the building into a vibrant center for scholarly pursuits, leveraging improvements to physical accessibility, technology, systems replacement, and performance challenges into design opportunities that enhance the user experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Iconic features of the original lobby, the chandelier and travertine cladding, will be retained. \u00a9 PERKINS EASTMAN<\/figcaption>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The original east-facing entry vestibule was cramped and not easily accessible. \u00a9 PERKINS EASTMAN<\/figcaption>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

A beloved campus landmark, the building\u2019s iconic lobby features double-height spaces with full-height glazing on the east and west sides, travertine wall cladding on the north and south, and a custom chandelier, that, along with the cladding, is critical to the library\u2019s identity. The wall cladding is being preserved and the chandelier restored, while other aspects of the lobby will be strategically improved. The renovation will also provide a new accessible entry and bring natural light deep into the four below-grade floors that currently house the majority of collections and research\/study areas in an artificially illuminated environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The C Level Reading Room will provide study seating options and zones designed for quiet or noisy conditions. \u00a9 PERKINS EASTMAN<\/figcaption>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The former reading room offered few seating options, a low ceiling, and artificial illumination. \u00a9 PERKINS EASTMAN<\/figcaption>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

Creating flexible, high-quality study spaces while optimizing natural daylight and other forms of lighting is a major impetus for the renovation. A new central stair carved through the building and a generous, walkable skylight above it will become the glowing heart of the building, providing wayfinding, circulation, and bringing visual warmth to all floors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To bring light into the lower levels, a multistory vertical space, level with the lobby, will be inserted and lined with glass panels. \u00a9 PERKINS EASTMAN<\/figcaption>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA key piece of the modernization of the Eisenhower Library,\u201d points out Dianne Chia, project architect, \u201cis to update the building for access and inclusivity. The main doors to the original building were elevated above the lobby with a short flight of steps, making it a convoluted and unwelcoming entry. We addressed this by removing the elevated slab, creating an entry directly at lobby level that is coordinated with the enhanced lobby design and new exterior landscaping.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two-thirds of the university\u2019s energy requirements are supplied by an off-campus facility with 500,000 solar panels. The library is targeting LEED Gold, and it is designed to be net-zero emissions and energy ready\u2014the first building renovation on campus to do so\u2014in preparation of immediate switch over when the primary campus infrastructure is replaced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Charles L. Tutt Library\u2019s new outdoor terraces, part of the expansion, offer views to the Rocky Mountains. \u00a9 STEVE LERUM<\/figcaption>\n\n\n\n
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Charles L. Tutt Library at Colorado College<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Designed in 1962 by architect Walter Netsch of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in the brutalist style, the library\u2019s original fortress-like exterior belied finely detailed interior elements such as concrete ceiling coffers. When the college determined the library needed expansion and renovation, it also committed to achieving net zero energy (NZE), a challenge for most renovations, especially academic buildings from the postwar era. Major goals included bringing natural light into the library\u2019s interior spaces and establishing visual connections to its surroundings, affording views of the Rocky Mountains, adding exterior terraces, and reestablishing the adjacent Tava Quad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A red ribbon of fiber-cement panels wraps the building, creating a visual metaphor of new embracing old. \u00a9 STEVE LERUM<\/figcaption>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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An example of brutalist design, the original library presented an impenetrable exterior. \u00a9 PERKINS EASTMAN<\/figcaption>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

Exterior precast concrete panels were removed in select areas to maintain the required percentage of glazing to achieve NZE while opening student-centric spaces to vistas of the Rockies and campus. And technological challenges arose on all fronts: introducing new fenestration, exterior balconies, multiple exits, and a formal entry while achieving NZE performance; joining a new structure to an old one (aligning floors, accommodating new systems, HVAC, sprinklers, and lighting); and adhering to strict requirements for sensitive temperature and humidity controls for special collections, as well as the building\u2019s 24\/7 use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To fulfill the project\u2019s goals, \u201cthe team maximized the sustainable aspects of the existing building and the addition,\u201d says Stephanie Kingsnorth, principal in charge. \u201cDesigning the building systems to work with the low existing floor-to-floor height of the 1962 building and transitioning the systems between the original structure and the additions were critical parts of the design process,\u201d she adds, “requiring careful coordination to work within the limitations of the original building and to embrace the opportunities presented by the expansion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The original concrete coffers enrich the renovated Colket Reading Room. \u00a9 STEVE LERUM<\/figcaption>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n

Due to challenges like those Kingsnorth outlined, constant coordination throughout the design and construction phases was essential to the project\u2019s success, especially with the design-build contractor and subcontractors. The subcontractors, who were used to hiding everything above ceilings, came to understand that even routing sprinkler lines in alignment with the original concrete coffers was crucial to the visual sensibility of the project, which called for exposed ceilings in public areas to highlight the original structure. Ceiling heights in offices and classrooms were constantly revised as new systems were integrated. Unfortunately, many of the design-build subcontractors weren\u2019t aware of the unique column and beam intersections in the 1962 building. Working carefully, the trades rerouted elements and the design team added soffits and incrementally lowered ceilings to allow the systems to fit into the original building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NZE building is wrapped in a red ribbon of fiber-cement panels\u2014inspired by the nearby Garden of the Gods<\/a> geologic formations\u2014that engages at the foot of the western edge of the addition and rises to encircle the original building, creating a visual dialogue between new and old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The renovation of Tutt and the libraries at Columbia and Johns Hopkins\u2014three architecturally significant structures\u2014not only improves their function, accessibility, comfort, and sustainability, but also supports expanded programs, ensuring the continued existence of cherished campus buildings. N<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In addition to the skylight in the original reading room, artificial light was the main source of illumination. \u00a9 PERKINS EASTMAN<\/figcaption>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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