Program Summary: 10,000 square foot contemporary library addition and restoration of historic house for community use

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Rhoda Johnson
7 years ago
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2 Program Summary: 10,000 square foot contemporary library addition and restoration of historic house for community use Program Statement: This branch library in the Broadmoor neighborhood of New Orleans was severely flooded by levee breaks attributed to Hurricane Katrina. This 10,000sf FEMA replacement project incorporates the complete restoration of an original 1917 historic residence converting it into a neighborhood community center and the construction of a replacement library wing designed so that the two buildings can function as a single unit or independent of one another for divergent uses. Building Area: (sf) 9,707 square feet Cost per Square Foot: $490 Construction Cost $4,760,000 Date of Completion: March 2012 A small glazed lobby provides a minimal link between the two buildings, and a transition between the architecture of old and new. The library s program is organized around a captured courtyard which acts as a respite for users and provides natural light to the center of the building. Program components of reading, circulation, stacks and children s room all pinwheel around this outdoor court. The wood glue lam structure, a nod to the heavy carpentry of the bungalow, is designed to reveal this pinwheel organization and helps define independent program uses as it rises in scale from the library entry to a high point containing the mechanical core.

4 The library and community center are LEED Silver certified. The design of the site specifically addresses issues associated with the health and well-being of ecological systems in the urban environment including the minimization of heat island effect, maximization of open space, and the protection and restoration of the site's habitat.

5 The structure of the roof uses exposed wood glue-laminated beams in a nod to the heavy wood carpentry of the historic house. The glue-lams are arrayed in a pinwheel organization that serve to define the various program areas of the library as the ceiling rises from the entry to a high point enclosing rooftop mechanical systems. With the single formal move of a constantly sloping, helical roof form, the design accomplishes several goals simultaneously. The form addresses the complex massing of the original house by spiraling to a height that is commensurate with but formally distinct from the historic bungalow. The helix form wraps around itself to capture a small courtyard in the center of the space, bringing natural light into the heart of the library. Finally, this formal gesture allows the interior to be developed as a single, continuous space so that visual connections are maintained throughout the library.

6 WATER MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES The design incorporates significant stormwater management strategies in order to minimize the impact to the City s stormwater infrastructure. The most noticeable element is the creation of a large bioswale, reducing stormwater runoff by 58% and serving as both landscape feature and educational component addressing the larger issue of water management in the region. Rainwater spirals down the slope of the new library wing to a single point, where it is celebrated in a catchment feature at the building entry. From there it is channeled along the entry ramp and joins water from the restored historic wing into a landscaped detention area where it percolates slowly back into the soil. A similar strategy softens the flows from the existing concrete parking area.

7 After a period of analysis by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the best solution for the combined campus was deemed to be a careful elevation of the historic structure to new base flood elevation standards and a demolition of the more modern structure and replacement with a new, higher elevated wing.

8 On the south side of the building, a new walled garden provides additional seating for the café and library users beneath two mature oak trees. Visitors can access the library and community center through a glass link that connects the two programs. A large window from the children s reading room provides views to the garden.

9 Another sustainable design strategy was the incorporation of low-e glazing throughout the facility to help suppress heat flow inside while allowing the building to provide significant daylight for user satisfaction and energy use reduction. Every effort was made to utilize non-toxic and low-emitting materials that are not irritating or harmful to the comfort and well-being of installers and occupants. Care was taken to protect air quality during construction and the facility was flushed of any residual pollutants prior to occupancy. In addition, design considerations were made for thermal comfort, controllability of systems, daylight and views. A permanent mechanical monitoring system to help sustain occupancy comfort and well-being was installed.

15 Project Name: Rosa F. Keller Library & Community Center Project Location: New Orleans LA Owner/Client: City of New Orleans, New Orleans Public Library General Contractor: Ryan Gootee General Contractors, LLC, General Contractor Photographer(s): (please list which specific slides get credited to each photographer(s) listed). Timothy Hurlsey Timothy Dunford Architect(s) of Record: (names and addresses) Eskew+Dumez+Ripple 365 Canal Street, Suite 3150 New Orleans LA Project Team: R. Allen Eskew, FAIA Project Principal Steve Dumez, FAIA Design Principal Kurt Hagstette, AIA Project Director Jason Richards, AIA, LEED AP BD+C Project Architect David Demsey, AIA Designer Mark Reynolds, IIDA, AIA, LEED AP Interior Designer / FF&E Robert Kleinpeter, CSI, CCS, RA Specifier Rick Dupont, CSI, CCCA Construction Administration Landscape Architect: Spackman, Mossop + Michaels Consultants: Kulkarni Consultants, Civil / Structural Engineer Lucien T. Vivien & Associates, MEP Engineer Professional Services Industries, Inc., Geotechnical Engineer Associated Office Systems, Furnishings

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