Seattle Public Library -Libraries for All Central Library Q & A, Jan. 11 2000

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Capital Project Information New Central Library Neighborhood Libraries Information for Architects, Consultants, Contractors & Bidders Oversight & Citizen Review Financial Summaries Archive Libraries for All Capital Program Office: capital.program@spl.org 1000 Fourth Ave. Seattle, WA 98104 206-386-4624		Q&A On the New Central Library Jan. 11, 2000. Last updated Feb 3, 2000. Return to Libraries for All, Central Library he preliminary design for Seattle Public Library's central library, presented in December 1999, is based on the first six weeks of a two-year design period. It is our goal to hear from and involve as many community members as are interested. This question and answer sheet was developed in response to questions received after the December presentation by the Library and joint venture design team from the Office for Metropolitan Architecture and LMN Architects (OMA/LMN). If you have additional questions, please contact the Capital Program Office at (206) 386-4624, or to get on the mailing list for future programs as progress on the central library develops. For complete information, visit the Libraries for All Web site at: www.spl.org (click on Libraries for All Capital Program). Q: What information on library services, programs and collections is OMA/LMN using in developing the building design? A: OMA/LMN is working from the Central Library Facility Program, a document developed through a collaborative and participatory process involving the efforts and thinking of all library staff, Library Board, consultants and the public. The comprehensive program was completed over the course of eight years and specifies how different functions of the new central library will be organized into the new building. The document provides the specific information the architect needs to ensure that spaces in the building will serve the existing and future needs of Seattle library users, such as growth space for the collection (the Library is planning for a collection to the year 2025). The executive summary of the Facility Program is available on the Libraries for All Web site: http://www.spl.org/lfa/central/central.html (Central Library page.) OMA/LMN has an international reputation for creating architecture based on what the functions and expectations for services delivered in a building are. OMA/LMN architects have visited major libraries around the country and Europe to learn what elements in their designs have been successful, as well problematic. In addition, 36 staff work groups and 10 public work groups have been meeting and giving recommendations to the architect for the design. The preliminary concept unveiled by OMA/LMN in December is extremely responsive to the needs of the Library program. Q: What is the size of the current Central Library and how much larger will the new building be? A: The present facility is 206,000-square-feet. The new building will be 355,000-square-feet, plus an underground parking garage for approximately 200 vehicles. The new library will hold space for 1.4 million books, which compares to less than 800,000 items in the current building. Q: When and where will the new library be built? A: Construction is scheduled to begin in 2001 with completion in 2003. The library will be built on the existing site at 1000 Fourth Ave. Library service will continue in temporary quarters downtown during construction. Q: How tall will the new library be? A: The early design scheme for the library shows 15 levels, 12 floors above Fourth Avenue, which includes a full floor of parking and a roof terrace. The new building will be visible from Interstate 5, as well as offer views of the water and Mount Rainier. Q: Where will the entrance to the new library be? A: There will be entrances on Fourth and Fifth avenues, just as there are now. Q: What is in the preliminary design? A: Rather than a conventional high rise with symmetrically stacked floors, the preliminary design features a building composed of five main " platforms" - clusters of similar Library functions - that are shifted vertically to allow greater opportunities for light and views. Because each platform is designed for a unique purpose, each varies in size, organization and number of floors. OMA's Rem Koolhaas describes the platforms as "five solid elements that float in a cloud of more improvised activities." A description of each platform is given briefly below, though the exact arrangement of the program areas is still being studied. First platform: Parking and library support areas, topped by the children's library. Second platform: What Koolhaas calls the "store" - popular fiction, and library staff areas.Third platform: Computer training, electronics (Internet access, CD-ROMs and e-books) and "assembly" - the auditorium and meeting rooms. Fourth platform: The main collection, shown on spiraling floor levels allowing a continuous sequence of materials through changing subject areas. Also on top of this platform is the main reading room of the library. Fifth platform: Library headquarters, or administrative space for the entire library. There are also "flexible" spaces between the platforms, which include a "mixing chamber," where the highest concentration of library staff would be available to provide expert assistance to patron questions; reading room; "living room," a central civic space for the city that features a coffee shop; and roof terrace. Q: What type of exterior building materials are being proposed at this stage? A: Early ideas show the preliminary design using a diagonal steel tube system that would provide support for the building. Glass would provide transparency in the more flexible areas, including the mixing chamber, living room and reading room. The glass could include special coatings to screen direct sunlight and reduce glare. Other areas of the building would be more semi-transparent. Q: Is the proposed design structurally sound and feasible? A: Yes. Many details need to be designed, but the basic concept is considered both structurally sound and feasible at this early stage in the architectural process. Many buildings use the perimeter, exterior structure as the primary structural component of a building. The difference in this proposal is that that structural system runs at an angle in some locations rather than vertically. Q: What are the floors made of? A: A number of materials are being considered. It is possible some accent areas would be translucent, but the primary floors will be solid materials to be determined later in the design process. Q: How will the building be maintained? Won't the glass be hard to keep clean? What kind of impact will it have on the budget? A: Part of the design process is to do life cycle cost analysis. The Library Board and design team understand fully that upkeep of the building is vital and has to be accomplished within the anticipated maintenance budget over time. Q: Can this building design be completed within the budget? A: The library and design team are committed to completing the project within the budget. OMA/LMN has completed projects with budgets lower than that allocated for the central library. Cost estimates will be prepared at regular intervals throughout the design process, and these will be reviewed with construction professionals during the design period to ensure that the costs will remain within budget. Q: How will this building fit in with the surrounding cityscape? A. This is a part of town that features a variety of diverse architecture - more than other parts of the city, such as Pioneer Square. Surrounding the site is a terra-cotta building, the Federal Courthouse, and two bank buildings. The architect has proposed a solution that seeks to create a dynamic and attractive presence in the downtown without mimicking adjacent buildings. The creative design is intended to announce the library's presence and to distinguish it as an important public place different from the private office and hotel structures that surround the site. Q: How will people get around in the new library? How will elderly and disabled people be accommodated? A: Seattle Public Library is committed to taking building accessibility beyond what building codes require. The library and design team understand that accessibility is more than complying with building codes. Seattle Public Library has a key goal of providing a welcoming and accessible building that serves the broad constituency that uses it. Many of the innovative features being proposed center around providing better circulation in the building. Elevators will provide access to every floor. Escalators are also included in the proposal, as well as stairs. Koolhaas, who has built an internationally recognized home for a disabled person, wants the new central library to be easy for all patrons to use. We will continuously evaluate accessibility throughout the design process to avoid any barriers to use by the elderly or disabled. Q: Is the proposed design and building earthquake proof? A: Detailed structural design will take place later in the design process. The structural engineering team have assured us that the building will be designed to meet the most stringent earthquake codes applicable. The diamond shapes present in the design proposal actually assist in creating seismic, or earthquake resisting systems in the structure. Q: Will there be parking in the new building? A: Yes. There will be approximately 200 underground parking spots. The concept now being evaluated would have cars entering and exiting off of Spring Street. Q: Can the proposed building be expanded? What about modifications or renovations? A: This library is being designed around the expanded services needed in the future. It will house 1.4 million books; the current library holds less than 800,000. Extra capacity for growth in the book count is planned within the shelving areas by allowing for some empty or partially-filled shelves at the opening of the library. The floor areas, particularly the flexible floor areas, are designed to be able to change as program requirements change over time, and to allow for future technologies as much as possible. A 30-year planning horizon was used for the current program. Q: How will the library deal with the homeless? A: The issue of the homeless is not one solved either by architecture, or by the library alone. It is a problem that can only be appropriately resolved by a citywide effort. However, the new building will be designed to foster inclusiveness and diversity. It will be designed to support the Code of Conduct that governs behavior in the Library, and other policies established by the Library and its staff that are intended to make the Library safe and comfortable for all patrons using Library resources. Since we are a public library, we allow appropriate use of the library by all of our patrons. Q: How much space will the library have for books? A: Library patrons will be greeted by books on every floor. The existing building has room for less than 800,000 books. The new library will accommodate more than 1.4 million books - the number projected for the year 2025. The design team also believes emerging forms of technology will join the book as potent sources of information and is planning for these, as well. Q: The images of the model look very complete. Where are we in the design process? A: The model illustrates very early design concepts. We are at the beginning of the first phase of a two-year design process. The model presented in December 1999 represented seven weeks of work that focused on organization, entries, public spaces, structure and mechanical services. Many of these elements will be modified in the design process and through continued dialogue with the staff and public. Q: What is special about how the main collections will be organized in the building? A: The architects have proposed that the main collection be organized into a continuous spiral that is the equivalent of three levels of the building. This proposal offers the following: It allows collections to grow at unpredicted rates without pushing books from one area to another, or moving "departments" as has occurred in the current library. It allows the entire non-fiction main collection (the full scope of the Dewey run - 000 to 999) to be located sequentially. It allows staff members who normally perform redundant tasks on every floor, to be much more efficient with access to multiple floors of books. It allows books that are associated with more than one department to have relationships and connections to all departments where they are relevant. Q: When will we see sketches or models of how the building will interface with pedestrians; e.g. landscaping, open space, etc? A: Examples of how the building will interface with open space will be available in May. The details of a landscape plan will be available by the end of this year. Q: What type of public process is under way to get input from the public? A: After the initial design was unveiled in a public presentation at Benaroya Hall, the Library and design team hosted an open house at Town Hall to encourage participation in Library work groups. The work groups will give specific recommendations on different spaces in the building to the design team. The work groups are meeting in January. For more information, call the Capital Program office at 206-386-4624, or e-mail capital.program@spl.org. In addition, staff members who work in the library are providing input to the designers through 37 different work groups organized around specific library functions. Q: When will Koolhaas present his next phase of work? A: Koolhaas and the design team will complete the next phase of design work in early May. That will be the next opportunity for the public to see progress on the new library. The public will be invited to attend a presentation. Call 206-386-4624, or e-mail: capital.program@spl.org to get on the mailing list for notification. Content Modified: 11 January 2000 12/30/2005 © 1999-2006 - The Seattle Public Library

Libraries for All
Capital Program Office:
capital.program@spl.org
1000 Fourth Ave.
Seattle, WA 98104
206-386-4624

Q&A
On the New Central Library
Jan. 11, 2000. Last updated Feb 3, 2000.

Return to Libraries for All, Central Library

he preliminary design for Seattle Public Library's central library, presented in December 1999, is based on the first six weeks of a two-year design period. It is our goal to hear from and involve as many community members as are interested. This question and answer sheet was developed in response to questions received after the December presentation by the Library and joint venture design team from the Office for Metropolitan Architecture and LMN Architects (OMA/LMN). If you have additional questions, please contact the Capital Program Office at (206) 386-4624, or to get on the mailing list for future programs as progress on the central library develops. For complete information, visit the Libraries for All Web site at: www.spl.org (click on Libraries for All Capital Program).

Q: What information on library services, programs and collections is OMA/LMN using in developing the building design?
A: OMA/LMN is working from the Central Library Facility Program, a document developed through a collaborative and participatory process involving the efforts and thinking of all library staff, Library Board, consultants and the public.

The comprehensive program was completed over the course of eight years and specifies how different functions of the new central library will be organized into the new building.

The document provides the specific information the architect needs to ensure that spaces in the building will serve the existing and future needs of Seattle library users, such as growth space for the collection (the Library is planning for a collection to the year 2025). The executive summary of the Facility Program is available on the Libraries for All Web site: http://www.spl.org/lfa/central/central.html (Central Library page.)

OMA/LMN has an international reputation for creating architecture based on what the functions and expectations for services delivered in a building are. OMA/LMN architects have visited major libraries around the country and Europe to learn what elements in their designs have been successful, as well problematic. In addition, 36 staff work groups and 10 public work groups have been meeting and giving recommendations to the architect for the design. The preliminary concept unveiled by OMA/LMN in December is extremely responsive to the needs of the Library program.

Q: What is the size of the current Central Library and how much larger will the new building be?
A: The present facility is 206,000-square-feet. The new building will be 355,000-square-feet, plus an underground parking garage for approximately 200 vehicles. The new library will hold space for 1.4 million books, which compares to less than 800,000 items in the current building.

Q: When and where will the new library be built?
A: Construction is scheduled to begin in 2001 with completion in 2003. The library will be built on the existing site at 1000 Fourth Ave. Library service will continue in temporary quarters downtown during construction.

Q: How tall will the new library be?
A: The early design scheme for the library shows 15 levels, 12 floors above Fourth Avenue, which includes a full floor of parking and a roof terrace. The new building will be visible from Interstate 5, as well as offer views of the water and Mount Rainier.

Q: Where will the entrance to the new library be?
A: There will be entrances on Fourth and Fifth avenues, just as there are now.

Q: What is in the preliminary design?
A: Rather than a conventional high rise with symmetrically stacked floors, the preliminary design features a building composed of five main " platforms" - clusters of similar Library functions - that are shifted vertically to allow greater opportunities for light and views. Because each platform is designed for a unique purpose, each varies in size, organization and number of floors. OMA's Rem Koolhaas describes the platforms as "five solid elements that float in a cloud of more improvised activities." A description of each platform is given briefly below, though the exact arrangement of the program areas is still being studied.

First platform: Parking and library support areas, topped by the children's library.
Second platform: What Koolhaas calls the "store" - popular fiction, and library staff areas.Third platform: Computer training, electronics (Internet access, CD-ROMs and e-books) and "assembly" - the auditorium and meeting rooms.
Fourth platform: The main collection, shown on spiraling floor levels allowing a continuous sequence of materials through changing subject areas. Also on top of this platform is the main reading room of the library.
Fifth platform: Library headquarters, or administrative space for the entire library.

There are also "flexible" spaces between the platforms, which include a "mixing chamber," where the highest concentration of library staff would be available to provide expert assistance to patron questions; reading room; "living room," a central civic space for the city that features a coffee shop; and roof terrace.

Q: What type of exterior building materials are being proposed at this stage?
A: Early ideas show the preliminary design using a diagonal steel tube system that would provide support for the building. Glass would provide transparency in the more flexible areas, including the mixing chamber, living room and reading room. The glass could include special coatings to screen direct sunlight and reduce glare. Other areas of the building would be more semi-transparent.

Q: Is the proposed design structurally sound and feasible?
A: Yes. Many details need to be designed, but the basic concept is considered both structurally sound and feasible at this early stage in the architectural process. Many buildings use the perimeter, exterior structure as the primary structural component of a building. The difference in this proposal is that that structural system runs at an angle in some locations rather than vertically.

Q: What are the floors made of?
A: A number of materials are being considered. It is possible some accent areas would be translucent, but the primary floors will be solid materials to be determined later in the design process.

Q: How will the building be maintained? Won't the glass be hard to keep clean? What kind of impact will it have on the budget?
A: Part of the design process is to do life cycle cost analysis. The Library Board and design team understand fully that upkeep of the building is vital and has to be accomplished within the anticipated maintenance budget over time.

Q: Can this building design be completed within the budget?
A: The library and design team are committed to completing the project within the budget. OMA/LMN has completed projects with budgets lower than that allocated for the central library. Cost estimates will be prepared at regular intervals throughout the design process, and these will be reviewed with construction professionals during the design period to ensure that the costs will remain within budget.

Q: How will this building fit in with the surrounding cityscape?
A. This is a part of town that features a variety of diverse architecture - more than other parts of the city, such as Pioneer Square. Surrounding the site is a terra-cotta building, the Federal Courthouse, and two bank buildings. The architect has proposed a solution that seeks to create a dynamic and attractive presence in the downtown without mimicking adjacent buildings. The creative design is intended to announce the library's presence and to distinguish it as an important public place different from the private office and hotel structures that surround the site.

Q: How will people get around in the new library? How will elderly and disabled people be accommodated?
A: Seattle Public Library is committed to taking building accessibility beyond what building codes require. The library and design team understand that accessibility is more than complying with building codes. Seattle Public Library has a key goal of providing a welcoming and accessible building that serves the broad constituency that uses it. Many of the innovative features being proposed center around providing better circulation in the building. Elevators will provide access to every floor. Escalators are also included in the proposal, as well as stairs. Koolhaas, who has built an internationally recognized home for a disabled person, wants the new central library to be easy for all patrons to use. We will continuously evaluate accessibility throughout the design process to avoid any barriers to use by the elderly or disabled.

Q: Is the proposed design and building earthquake proof?
A: Detailed structural design will take place later in the design process. The structural engineering team have assured us that the building will be designed to meet the most stringent earthquake codes applicable. The diamond shapes present in the design proposal actually assist in creating seismic, or earthquake resisting systems in the structure.

Q: Will there be parking in the new building?
A: Yes. There will be approximately 200 underground parking spots. The concept now being evaluated would have cars entering and exiting off of Spring Street.

Q: Can the proposed building be expanded? What about modifications or renovations?
A: This library is being designed around the expanded services needed in the future. It will house 1.4 million books; the current library holds less than 800,000. Extra capacity for growth in the book count is planned within the shelving areas by allowing for some empty or partially-filled shelves at the opening of the library. The floor areas, particularly the flexible floor areas, are designed to be able to change as program requirements change over time, and to allow for future technologies as much as possible. A 30-year planning horizon was used for the current program.

Q: How will the library deal with the homeless?
A: The issue of the homeless is not one solved either by architecture, or by the library alone. It is a problem that can only be appropriately resolved by a citywide effort. However, the new building will be designed to foster inclusiveness and diversity. It will be designed to support the Code of Conduct that governs behavior in the Library, and other policies established by the Library and its staff that are intended to make the Library safe and comfortable for all patrons using Library resources. Since we are a public library, we allow appropriate use of the library by all of our patrons.

Q: How much space will the library have for books?
A: Library patrons will be greeted by books on every floor. The existing building has room for less than 800,000 books. The new library will accommodate more than 1.4 million books - the number projected for the year 2025. The design team also believes emerging forms of technology will join the book as potent sources of information and is planning for these, as well.

Q: The images of the model look very complete. Where are we in the design process?
A: The model illustrates very early design concepts. We are at the beginning of the first phase of a two-year design process. The model presented in December 1999 represented seven weeks of work that focused on organization, entries, public spaces, structure and mechanical services. Many of these elements will be modified in the design process and through continued dialogue with the staff and public.

Q: What is special about how the main collections will be organized in the building? A: The architects have proposed that the main collection be organized into a continuous spiral that is the equivalent of three levels of the building. This proposal offers the following:

It allows collections to grow at unpredicted rates without pushing books from one area to another, or moving "departments" as has occurred in the current library.
It allows the entire non-fiction main collection (the full scope of the Dewey run - 000 to 999) to be located sequentially.
It allows staff members who normally perform redundant tasks on every floor, to be much more efficient with access to multiple floors of books.
It allows books that are associated with more than one department to have relationships and connections to all departments where they are relevant.

Q: When will we see sketches or models of how the building will interface with pedestrians; e.g. landscaping, open space, etc?
A: Examples of how the building will interface with open space will be available in May. The details of a landscape plan will be available by the end of this year.

Q: What type of public process is under way to get input from the public?
A: After the initial design was unveiled in a public presentation at Benaroya Hall, the Library and design team hosted an open house at Town Hall to encourage participation in Library work groups. The work groups will give specific recommendations on different spaces in the building to the design team. The work groups are meeting in January. For more information, call the Capital Program office at 206-386-4624, or e-mail capital.program@spl.org. In addition, staff members who work in the library are providing input to the designers through 37 different work groups organized around specific library functions.

Q: When will Koolhaas present his next phase of work?
A: Koolhaas and the design team will complete the next phase of design work in early May. That will be the next opportunity for the public to see progress on the new library. The public will be invited to attend a presentation. Call 206-386-4624, or e-mail: capital.program@spl.org to get on the mailing list for notification.

Content Modified: 11 January 2000

12/30/2005