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Fourteen people from the community attended this meeting to discuss updated design development for the renovation and expansion of the Magnolia Branch. Michael Parham, Library Board steward for the Magnolia Branch, opened the meeting with welcoming comments and noted that since the last public meeting in June the Library Board had reviewed and commented on the branch design. Parham encouraged the attendees to view the latest design images, ask questions and talk to the architects and to Kim Baker from the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs regarding art for the branch. Parham introduced David Kunselman, Library senior capital projects manager, who thanked everyone for coming. Kunselman introduced Emerich Hlava, Magnolia Branch manager; Paula Herman, Magnolia Branch librarian; Val Frye, branch transitions manager for the Library; Claudia McCain, assistant director of Public Services; and Barbara Warden, Capital Program assistant.
Kunselman said the project had reached the end of the design development phase, and the design team was working on the details regarding the finishes for the building. He outlined the Landmarks Preservation Board review process, which includes the furniture and landscaping. The Landmarks Board’s Architectural Review Committee has almost completed the branch design review process.
Kunselman introduced Jonathan Hartung from Snyder Hartung Kane Strauss, architects
for the Magnolia Branch renovation and expansion. Hartung introduced the rest
of his team, Tristin Pagenkopf and Chris Armes. Hartung described the original
building design by architect Paul Kirk. The building was built in the 1960s,
and features a “pavilion-in-a-garden” theme. The current approach
is to touch the original building as lightly as possible and carry forward Kirk’s
vision for the design. The meeting room is connected to the original building
on an axis, with a view of the garden through the building. The basic scope
of the addition is a meeting room, a small study room, a workroom and two new
restrooms. The scope of the renovation is new infrastructure (electrical and
power) and some renovation to the exterior. The beams have significant deterioration,
and will need to be repaired. The addition is at the back of the building, and
respects but doesn’t mimic the original design. In regard to the scale
of the addition, the meeting room should have the necessary volume and scale
for public gatherings. A small concrete wall will be added at the parking lot.
The landscaping is part of the original design and is landmarked. It will be
pruned and carefully maintained. The concept of the garden will be extended
around the building.
Following the presentation, the public asked the following questions:
Q. Will the addition take up part of the parking lot?
A. Yes. Once the addition was proposed by the community, it was clear some parking
would be lost. The addition will reduce the parking to five stalls. The branch
has street parking, and there has been a discussion of creating a short-term
load and unload area in front of the building, which the Seattle Department
of Transportation has said is feasible.
Q. Will the entrance on 34th Avenue West be kept intact?
A. Yes. The stairway will be cleaned and repaired and kept as access to the
branch.
Q. Will there be the same number of books when the library reopens?
A. The collection size will stay basically the same. Low shelving will keep
the space open, and expanding the workroom area for the staff will free up space
in the branch, which will result in less clutter and better access to the collection.
Q. Will there be more computers?
A. The current plans show 19 public computers, which are zoned for children’s,
young adult and adult areas of the branch. Hlava said there are currently about
12 public computers at the branch, and added there will be wireless access throughout
the building at some point in the future.
Q. Will the Library pursue sustainability credits for the design?
A. Not formally, but the designers have been incorporating green and sustainable
materials and methods such as energy-efficient glass in the windows, wherever
possible.
Q. What is the plan for materials inside the new meeting room?
A. Acoustics are an important element. A cork flooring material is being studied.
Some form of sound-absorbing material will be used for the walls, and the design
team has been meeting with an acoustical engineer. Plywood panels or slots with
holes are possibilities. Pendant light fixtures are planned, and there will
be a lot of natural light and natural materials. The garden off the meeting
room affords beautiful views and opens up into an outdoor space. The designers
are creating a forecourt surrounded by trees to buffer the building. It’s
possible that some of the children’s programming could be moved into the
garden, weather permitting.
Q. How many people will the meeting room accommodate?
A. The meeting room capacity is about 50 people.
Q. Has any thought been given to using solar energy from the southern
windows in the meeting room?
A. We haven’t looked at that as an option. The amount of solar energy
gain will probably not be much.
Q. Will there be shades on the windows?
A. Yes, there will be window coverings as allowable by the Landmarks Board review
process.
Q. How are the beams being repaired?
A. There are about six to eight beams in need of repair; we will insert fiberglass
rods into the beams to repair most of them. A few beams with more extensive
damage will need to have a portion replaced, but in no cases will we replace
the entire beam.
Q. Will the Landmarks Board allow some kind of flashing at the ends
of the beams?
A. We haven’t gotten to that level of detail yet with the Landmarks Board.
In addition, the following comment was made:
The proportion and connection of the addition is really elegant and artful.
Kunselman introduced Kim Baker of the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, who said the budget for art fabrication and installation at the branch is $19,000. Baker said there is a lot of sculpture at the branch that will be kept, and the design team may commission an additional sculptural piece. An artist selection process will begin fairly soon, and the existing artist roster may be used for the selection. Possible locations for artwork are being pinpointed, and Baker encouraged community members to contact Emerich Hlava at the branch if they would like to serve on an artist selection advisory panel. A patron asked whether the medium had been nailed down, and Baker responded that it had not.
Michael Parham thanked everyone for attending and for providing comments. He said comments would be shared with the Library Board and the design team, and the meeting recap would be posted to the Library’s Web site. The design team will make a presentation to the Landmarks Board on Sept. 29.
David Kunselman also thanked the attendees and invited them to take a closer look at the building elevations and ask questions of the architects.
Comments can be directed to the capital program office at capital.program@spl.org and to David Kunselman, Library project manager, at 386-4096 or by e-mail at david.kunselman@spl.org. Comment forms also are available on the Library’s Web site at www.spl.org and at the branch.
Next steps: The Library will complete the design and prepare construction documents for the contractor. It expects to apply for building permits later this year and publicly bid the project in early 2007. The meeting ended at 8 p.m.
Content Modified: 22 September 2006
09/22/2006
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