Few libraries are better positioned to host a daylong conference than the Nashville Public Library (NPL). NPL’s elegant Main Library opened in 2001 and still feels new, in part because its style, which designer Robert A.M. Stern described as “modern classical” and which features Ionic columns, Georgia marble floors, and Alabama limestone facing, doesn’t date as quickly as something intended to look state-of-the-art. Its 300,000 square feet include a large, self-contained event space that was perfect for attendees from around the United States to do a deep dive into library design informed by, but not disturbing, the surrounding library business as usual.

NPL director Kent Oliver offered a warm welcome and sang the praises of a collaborative design/build process whereby the library hires the contractor, the contractor hires the architect, and, as a result, they’re “all at the table together,” along with a project management firm, so the staff can communicate with a single point person about the construction or renovation.

A DEEP DIVE INTO DESIGN Nashville PL’s modern classical exterior (1), the site of the day’s events. LJ’s Krista Rafanello (2, seated, l.) welcomed attendees. Photos by Kevin Henegan

Structuring sustainability

Considering environmental impact in library design has moved from a trend to a commonplace in the past decade, but what that means—what tools are available for use and what goals and credentials are in play—continues to be a moving target. Led by moderator Emily Puckett Rodgers, project coordinator for LJ’s New Landmark Libraries and space design and assessment librarian at the University of Michigan School of Information, the day’s first panel tackled the big questions: What are libraries’ roles as exemplars and educators for sustainability? What are some of the key features of sustainable design in terms of human health, energy, and water use? How do these impact building budgets, operations, and staff?

Panelist Mike Leonard, director, greenSTUDIO, Hastings Architecture Associates, LLC, set the bar high by highlighting the Living Building Challenge. Originated by architect Bob Berkebile of BNIM, the challenge “set off to stretch sustainability to the nth degree” by requiring buildings to minimize negative impact but also to give back. It was originally proposed in 1993, around the same time the U.S. Green Building Council was founded, which led to the establishment of the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) standards in 2000. But while LEED is, if not universal, quite common in libraries these days, the Living Building Challenge is just getting started. (It may soon receive a boost, however: the Request for Quote for the Obama presidential library asks that it be a living building.) While “it may be premature to say LEED has served its purpose, let’s move on,” said Leonard. In addition to the Living Building Challenge, he called out a new aspirational standard: the 2030 Challenge, issued by Edward Mazria, calls on all buildings to be carbon neutral by the year 2030.

Larry Price, NPL associate director for branch services, cited the ways that Nashville was able to incorporate sustainable principles into its design: locating the majority of glass on the north side to reduce cooling load; obtaining a block grant to retrofit existing buildings with geothermal systems; and turning the parking lot of a former department store into a geothermal field and public park. All new construction, said Price, is required to be LEED Silver certified by city ordinance.

Of course, such initiatives are not free. Price said the library looked first to public funding and then leveraged private donors through the foundation to fund its green work, something that “took an education process.”

Answering questions and and discussing their services were (clockwise from top l.) sponsors Anode, 3branch,
OPN Architects’ Bradd Brown, and Tech Logic. Nashville PL’s auditorium (10) was panel central for attendees.
Photos by Kevin Henegan

The library as good example

Traci Lesneski, principal, MSR, cited several ways that libraries are well positioned to be exemplars of environmental stewardship. As centers of their campuses and communities, they have high visibility, and users can learn lessons there that they will take home and apply to their homes and offices. Also, because librarians are viewed as “trustworthy, apolitical, facts-only guides to knowledge,” they can use that power to convene a conversation on sustainability. As drivers of that conversation, Lesneski recommended focusing on the shift from sustainable to regenerative as a target, modeling easily adoptable ideas such as composting and water bottle filling stations and “catch[ing] them doing something right,” e.g., praising concrete, positive steps taken by community members.

The panelists debated the pros and cons of highly visible vs. background changes. Less visible choices are sometimes more sustainable than high-profile ones, Lesneski pointed out. Leonard agreed but cautioned, “Don’t underestimate the power of visibility” to shape public opinion.

Lesneski highlighted the importance of considering sustainability not as a race with a finish line reached once the building is completed but instead taking into account “how we behave in the building” on an ongoing basis, from positioning elevators so as to encourage patrons to take the stairs to tracking utility costs to lowering shelves in order to reduce the need for artificial light. Postoccupancy evaluations, she said, can be a useful tool. Another is one with which many librarians are already familiar: libguides, in this case on how to green your library and manage the process.

(l.-r.) The first panel, moderated by Emily Puckett Rodgers, looked at sustainability’s big picture. Experts included (l.–r.) Mike Leonard (Hastings Architecture Associates), Traci Lesneski (MSR), and Nashville PL’s associate director of branch services Larry Price. Nashville PL director Kent Oliver (standing, l.) led the second panel on community, with panelists (seated l.–r.) Alison Circle (Columbus Metropolitan Library), Dan Meehan (HBM Architects), and OPN’s Mindy Sorg.
Photos by Kevin Henegan

Asking the right questions

Once attendees returned from hands-on breakout sessions addressing real-world library design challenges (see Design Institute Nashville Design Challenges | Library by Design), a second panel, moderated by NPL’s Oliver, convened to address how architects and librarians together take the pulse of the community and translate that into spaces that resonate with users as community anchors, centers for creation, and partners in responding to local needs.

Panelist Alison Circle, chief customer experience officer, Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH, laid out the key dilemma: how to “not give people what they think they want but something completely unexpected.”

“People say they want more books, computers, and parking; they can’t see beyond what they know,” Circle said.

So how is a participatory library to gather meaningful feedback? One answer is to ask people not what they want from the library but what goals they want to achieve with which the library can help. Margaret Sullivan, principal, Margaret Sullivan Studio, suggested that you “ask not what library do you want, but what do you want your community to be (not just what it is), and create a series of workshops around it.” Circle offered a more abstract version of the question: “Use a word to describe the library of your youth and of your future.” To convince folks to come and give that feedback, “a ‘Pastabilities’ dinner by the Friends was a big hit.”

When offering examples to help inspire community feedback, said Dan Meehan, principal, HBM Architects, it’s important to go beyond what other libraries are doing. “Show wild things, not just normal things; some kind of a mind-breaking thing,” he advised, to help community members move out of their preconceptions of what a library must look like.

Sometimes, though, they don’t want to break out of those conceptions. Circle cited a “neighborhood up in arms” because residents wanted a traditional library. Rather than trying to change those individuals’ preferences, Circle went to the local high school and asked what the kids liked, then came back and explained to the adults, “We’re doing it for them.”

Once community feedback is obtained, it can be rolled up into principles to guide the project. In CML’s case, said Circle, these are transparency, flexibility, innovative programming, and “deliver unexpected wow.”

(l.-r.) Humphries Poli’s Dennis Humphries (r.) guided design mock-ups for Boone County’s session. NPL’s Oliver (standing, ctr.) pitched in to conceptualize a new design for the Marin County Free Library, CA. Photos by Kevin Henegan

User surveys, plus

Beyond feedback from each specific community, the panelists offered some generally applicable tips. “Buy commodity furniture in bulk; it’s the design of the building and public art that gives the texture,” Circle advised.

Sullivan suggested designing to echo places where people feel comfortable (as opposed to government buildings, which, it turns out, evoke anxiety in many people).

Mindy Sorg, associate, OPN Architects, said a focus on community outreach by the design team can sometimes be putting the cart before the horse. “Community came second,” she said. “First was staff.” Asking staff how the design can help them turned them into advocates. Only then did they reach out to the neighborhood.

Circle echoed the staff focus: “To be able to move your staff to understand is really a journey, and no matter how hard you try to help them envision, it is not until the building is finished that it becomes real.”

“We all love to shop at Abercrombie, but we like to hang at Barnes & Noble,” Sorg said, explaining that young adults in a dot exercise put more emphasis on comfortable space and less on cutting-edge tools and toys than had been anticipated. The panel agreed: “We haven’t had enough space just for people to be. It is the most often overlooked” aspect of library service, Circle said, and Sullivan added that “creativity happens in free space.”

If it takes weeding books or moving them to off-site storage to achieve that free space, Circle for one is willing to make that trade-off. “Everybody in this room had too many books in their library!” she claimed, including not only panelists but attendees. And if local library supporters are up in arms about the reduced collection, Meehan feels one legitimate role for the architect is as scapegoat. “We can be the bad guys because we go away again,” he quipped.

(l.-r.) Vendor sponsors (l.–r.) Scott Fairbanks (3branch), Tom Loy (Tech Logic), Janet Nelson (Demco), and Jeff Peden (Anode) enlightened the audience. Ask the Architects panel members were ( l.–r.) Hastings’s David Powell, Margaret Sullivan (Margaret Sullivan Studio), Dan Meehan (HBM), and Jack Poling (MSR). Photos by Kevin Henegan

Open for anything

The packed day concluded with an open forum in which attendees posed questions directly to architects. Can you deliver enough power in an older building to satisfy user needs for charging/operating their (or the library’s) devices? The short answer is yes (e.g., raise existing floors; if you have a smaller budget, use flat wire under carpets in low-traffic areas), but as Hastings Architecture Associates’ Dave Powell said, “Every situation is different, since every existing building is ­different.”

With limited budgets, space, and lighting, what would have the greatest impact in making school libraries more functional and inviting—and encourage digital learning? The panelists all agreed on light colors in finishes and furniture. Meehan suggested bringing students into the process and testing a space in one school, then moving on to the next. “Involve your students, and then they will train others on how to use the space,” said Sullivan.

Limited budgets were an overarching concern. How do you convince funders/managers that up-front additional costs for sustainability are nonnegotiable? “Show the payback period—that it will pay for itself in five years,” said OPN’s Bradd Brown. Also, give them examples from other libraries.

Other questions focused on security (large urban libraries have had designs vetted by security firms or police to identify problem areas), noise amelioration (be careful of what products say regarding noise control—some are great, some not), and how long it takes for a remodel from start to finish (it depends on size and complexity, phasing or not, and how quickly the library makes decisions). Finally, said Sullivan, designing a new space, or renovating or expanding an existing one, is a great educational, collaborative process between client and architect.