The Seattle Design Commission has awarded letters of commendation for design excellence and innovation to The Seattle Public Library for the Ballard Branch/Neighborhood Service Center and the Beacon Hill Branch/Neighborhood Service Center.
Library staff members Alexandra Harris, capital program director, and David Kunselman, capital projects manager, received the awards at a ceremony on Dec. 4 that also paid tribute to the 35th anniversary of the design commission.
In Ballard, construction of the new 15,000-square-foot branch, 3,000-square-foot neighborhood service center and underground parking garage is expected to begin in early 2004 at 22nd Avenue Northwest and Northwest 57th Street.
Architects at Bohlin Cywinski Jackson designed the building to take advantage of natural light and to create a civic presence. The roof will reach to the north to bathe the interior with indirect light. A covered porch area will provide a civic face along the main pedestrian corridor of 22nd Avenue Northwest.
A durable “green roof” will be planted with low-maintenance plant material to slow the flow of rainwater into the storm drain system, reduce the emission of heat and provide a more attractive view from taller buildings when density increases in the area.
The design commission cited the natural light, green roof and civic presence in its commendation.
Carlson Architects designed the new Beacon Hill Branch/Neighborhood Service Center, which is currently under construction at 2821 Beacon Ave. S. The building includes a 10,400-square-foot branch and a 400-square-foot neighborhood service center.
The sweeping roof forms are designed to provide a visual landmark and establish a focal point for the community. They are integrated with the function of the building to provide natural lighting, ventilation and openings to lush landscaped areas around the building.
The design commission recognized the building’s “bold, modern design that is respectful of neighborhood context and its location and provides excellent pedestrian access.”
The new branches are part of the $196.4 million “Libraries for All” bond measure that Seattle voters passed in 1998. The bond money, which can be used only for construction of libraries, is funding a new central library and new and improved branches.
The $72 million Seattle Center/Community Centers levy that Seattle voters passed in 1999 will fund the Ballard Neighborhood Service Center; the City’s Cumulative Reserve Subfund will fund the Beacon Hill Neighborhood Service Center.
The Library budgets are $10,938,258 for the Ballard Branch and $5,358,990 for the Beacon Hill Branch. On Oct. 28, 2003, the Seattle Public Library board of trustees revised the Beacon Hill Branch budget from $5,305,690 to $5,358,990 to pay for a street vacation that the City Council granted in 2002.
To date, the Library has completed the Capitol Hill, Delridge, NewHolly and Wallingford branches. The expanded Rainier Beach Branch will reopen at noon Saturday, Jan. 17, 2004. The Central Library and the Ballard, Beacon Hill, Columbia, Green Lake, Greenwood, High Point, Lake City, North East, and West Seattle branches are currently in the construction phase and planning and design is under way for many other branches.
The Seattle Public Library Foundation is in the midst of a “Campaign for Seattle’s Public Libraries” with the goal of raising $77.5 million from private sources to enhance the public bond commitment. Every dollar raised will ensure the Library system reflects our community’s needs in buildings, books, technology and people, long into the future. For more information about “Libraries for All” or the Foundation, visit the Library’s Web site at www.spl.org.
(For more information, call Caroline Young Ullmann, communications assistant, 206-615-1627.)
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Content modified: 10 December 2003
02/19/2004
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