SHOWCASES THE INTEGRATION OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT INTO THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT WITHIN AN URBAN CONTEXT ALLOWING SPACES AND EXPERIENCES TO BE DEFINED BY THE LANDSCAPE, FORM, AND STRUCTURE.
PARTI DIAGRAM
STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION DIAGRAM
STRUCTURE AND SITE INTEGRATION DIAGRAM
MOVEMENT ACROSS SITE + RELATIONSHIP TO SURROUNDINGS
PATH DIAGRAM
FACADE ORGANIZATION DIAGRAM
– FACADE BROKEN INTO THIRDS – NORTH AND SOUTH STRUCTURE WITH CONNECTING CORE STRUCTURE. -NATURAL LIGHT EXPOSURE – MIRRORED ON EAST
LIBRARY ELEVATIONS
NORTH ELEVATION
SOUTH ELEVATION
EAST ELEVATION
WEST ELEVATION
PLANS
PARKING GARAGE
FIRST FLOOR
SECOND FLOOR
THIRD FLOOR
FOURTH FLOOR
SECTIONS
LONGITUDINAL
TRANSVERSE
AXON WITH CONTEXT
SITE PLAN
EXTERIOR PERSPECTIVES
NORTH FACE FROM LUDLOW AVENUESOUTH FACE FROM HOWELL STREET
My Library design is based off of the idea of an interlocking puzzle with each floor being able to connect to the floor above and below it. I tired to emulate my plaza concept of fluidity between the plaza and the community into my library by keeping the same organic curved shape and allowing it to flow into the library. I was really inspired by the Children’s library in Shanghai and different landscape architects that play with contrasting materials and voids. The overlapping looks that makes the puzzle pieces is represented through the floors that allow the user to experience multiple levels.
Libraries have always been public spaces of learning, facilitating multiple forms of education, either oral or written knowledge. Going back to the earliest libraries in Athens and Alexandria, libraries have always been spaces that communities went to to join in debate, educated discussion and collaboration. Somewhere along the way, this idea has been lost. Libraries have shifted to individual learning, primarily focused on written knowledge and individual learning. Through the use of Neoclassical proportioning and borrowing from classic sequencing of space and axes this design aims to create a classical library for the modern age.
During the initial stages of the design process, I started by looking to famous library architect, Henri Labrouste. Borrowing from his Bibliotheque Nationale de France, in Paris, my design follows his classic sequences of space. In Labrouste’s Library, one enters through an open courtyard or green space flanked by administrative spaces, which then leads to a series of vestibules that open up to the different programatic spaces of the structure. However following the central axis of the space one would be lead into the large reading room, behind which would reside the majority of the book stacks accessible only by the staff. This design proposal for the Clifton Young Adult Library follows an abstracted version of this sequence with a focus on axes.
Rising. Modern libraries are not only limited to communication between people and books but also provide communication between people. In this library, functional facilities are a very attractive point. As floors rise, the focus shifts from living to self-improvement. In addition, my plaza design is a combination of seating platform and stairs. In this library, people can also sit on the stairs to read books and enjoy the views.
Cincinnati’s hilly topography creates a unique identity for the city. Taking from the surrounding topography the library is an area in the midst of residential and commercial spaces that brings in the hill. With its low profile, the library does not overpower its surroundings and supersede the Clifton community. It instead engages the natural site with the community and creates an anchoring point. The third floor, consisting of the bookstore and refreshment bar, is on grade with Clifton Plaza, welcoming community members to enjoy the extension of public space. A public thoroughfare winds up the side of the library creating a connection between Howell and Ludlow street coinciding with residential and commercial demands, with the goal of ultimately creating a community space with cultural expression.
Site Plan
Site Plan 1’=30″
Parti Diagram
The parti represents the initial conceptualization of the topography
The concept of my library is drawing people into a quiet space that closely connect with nature, daylight, and green space. People can take more time in here for thinking, reading and studying. The library also would have a comfortable relationship with the Clifton plaza, so that makes the library more synthesized.
Site Plan
Floor Plan
Underground Floor First FloorSecond FloorThird FloorFourth Floor
Section
West SectionNorth Section
Elevation
East ElevationEast ElevationNorth & East Elevation
The idea of the library comes from the bookshelves. From the outside, the whole library looks like a combination of multiple bookshelves. Secondly, the library is a place that contains multiple functions. The combination of outdoor and indoor places provides more ways for people’s activities.
Site Plan Located in 330 Howell Ave, Cincinnati
Plan
Street Level Floor PlanPlaza Level Floor PlanLevel 3 Floor PlanLevel 4 Floor Plan Most of this floor is an outdoor place
The Clifton Library integrates with the Clifton community by using key concept ideas from the Clifton Plaza design. The concept came from the history of Clifton, which was transformed by the modern technologies of the street car. This idea is implemented into the design with the use of an abstracted street car route map on the facades of the library and on the ground plane of the plaza. The Clifton Library introduces a more modern design into the historical Clifton area, while still preserving the history of how the community came to be.
