seattle central public library

oma + lmn architectsmunicipality of seattlebuilt in 2004362,987 sq ftseattle, wa

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contents

contextual chronology

the horses mouth

conclusion

diagramming the idea

02

1973

contextual chronology map

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1979 us energy crisis 1986 chernobyl nuclear disaster

1982 cd’s become commercially available1977 personal computers mass marketted

1973 ibm plazamies van der rohe

Began working on the New Harmony's Atheneum. This design incorporates the idea of a planned experience and process of using the space.

1979 richard meier

Took his value of transparency and implemented it into his design of the Crystal Cathedral in California.

1980 philip johnson

Designed the Portland Building using his post modern philosophy of scale play and his colorful use of ornament.

1982 michael graves

Valued form and used a scultural process to develop his buildings. He began work on the design for the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium.

1981 frank gehry

Had just finished his design of the HSBC headquarters in Hong Kong. His design features passive daylighting strategies to promote his idealogy of sustainability.

1986 norman foster

Daniel used many abstract concepts and analogies in the schematic design of the Jewish Museum in Berlin.

1989 daniel libeskind

2003

04

1990 the internet goes public

1994 northridge earthquake

1997 kyoto protocol

1998 iss launched into orbit

2001 september 11th

2001 nisqually earthquake

frank gehry2000 emp

norman foster+partners1991 commerzbank

Began work on her first project, the Vitra Firestation where she implemented her deconstructionist and high modernist design principles.

1994 zaha hadid

Worked on the Aurora Place Tower as the lead architect. He used formal considerations to the buikdings context and implemented expressive forms to relate to the Sydney Opera House.

1999 renzo piano

Daniel used many abstract concepts and analogies in the schematic design of the Jewish Museum in Berlin.

1989 daniel libeskind

Was working on the educatorium where he allowed the program to guide the form.

1995 rem koolhaus

Was a formalist who used the steel structure of a building to form an almost bone like struc-ture. He used his structure in the Milwaukee Museum of Art as expression.

2001 santiago calatrava

diagramming the idea

01.hyper rational process02.community design03.defined spaces04.compartmentalized flexibility05.social responsibility06.program drives form07.context drives form07.context drives form08.continuem09.uniform skin10.sustainability

ideas+values

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hyper rational process

hq

spiral

meeting

staff

parking

=

Rem Koolhaas and OMA claim that the design of the Seattle public library came from a hyper rational process. Many observers may believe that the formal characteristics of the building were done merely to be provocative but in reality it was the result of process work, diagrams, and data. The firm collected data from the program they were given and began to break analyze it. As they did so they broke the program up and consolidated it with other corresponding functions. This then was reorganized to provide each space with its ideal location and relation to one another. This layering of sliding stacks that we see from their initial data and diagrams manifested itself into the actual arrangement of the spaces. This arrangement of protruding components then guided the form of the exterior.actual arrangement of the spaces. This arrangement of protruding components then guided the form of the exterior.

As a result OMA was left with a final building that looked very similar to it’s original data and diagrams. While many of OMA’s earlier works have been program driven designs this is the first that formally embodies the actual raw diagrams and utilizes this compartmentalization.

OMA data and space breakdown parti and form of the design

data and diagrams manifested into the building’s arrangement and form

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community design

architect’s concerns

user’s concerns

librarian’sconcerns

concerns of users, librarians, and architects shape the building book return conveyor

One of OMA and Rem Koolhaas’s philosophies is having no discernible authorship for their buildings. They believe in the principles of community design and implemented it early on in the schematic design process. OMA worked very closely with librarians, city officials, and all users of the space to filter ideas and create the most usable spaces. As they worked as a committee they were able to propose ideas and have each party filter them appropriately. Each party had to compromise in certain aspects of the design but the result was a library designed for how it will be used. A notable example of this can be seen in the way that the librarian’s book return and sorting system works. A conveyor belt easily transports them up to the book spiral to be categorized and sorted.conveyor belt easily transports them up to the book spiral to be categorized and sorted.

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defined spacesAnother core value that is apparent in the Seattle Central Public Library is the use of both defined and loosely defined spaces. Within the program the critical spaces such as the offices, book spiral, meeting/conference rooms, staff facilities, and parking are all rectilinear boxes separated from one another vertically. This allows each one to be tightly defined and have a specific function. The meeting room floor for example is defined with a bright red organic forms that make it immediately distinguishable from the other parts of the library. The arrangement of these spaces also creates more irregular loosely defined areas which become more of the public and social aspects of the library also creates more irregular loosely defined areas which become more of the public and social aspects of the library such as the living room, reading room, and kids zone.

VS

defined spaces with specific functions loosely defined spaces with flexible functions

the building is a stack of seperated defined spaces with loosely defined spaces inbetween

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compartmentalized flexibility

modern architecture’s universal space vs compartmentalized flexible space

one large open floor plate with no specific function

VS

multiple defined spaces with specific functions but open floor plates for flexibility

Like many architects Rem Koolhaas has learned from the failures of modern architecture. Rem and OMA reject the concept of universal space yet they embrace the notion of flexibilty and the ability of a space to change over time. Their value of compartmentalized flexible has been strongly integrated into the design of the Seattle Public Library. Each space is defined and has a specific function yet the plan is open and allows it to change and evolve over time. The living room for example is an open atrium with moveable shelves and furniture. This allows for the spatial arrangement within the living room to and furniture. This allows for the spatial arrangement within the living room to change if needed.

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social responsibility

area of socialization + interaction

offices

street side

employees

public

public living room

During the design of the Seattle Central Public Library, OMA made efforts to ensure that the building was being so-cially responsible. This value of social responsibility drove OMA to dedicate nearly the entire ground floor to public space. They also made sure that this public space addressed and was open to the street side and created a wel-coming public living room, free and open to everyone. This public living room has comfortable seating and ameni-ties for everyone to use and is a convergence zone between the staff and the public. This creates opportunities for the staff to interact and socialize with their patrons allowing strong community bonds to form.

living room lies between the street and offices encourages interactions to occur the public living room

social responsibility drove the creation of a large public ground floor

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program driven form

the library’s form is not a sculptural move but an interior driven one

simple rectalinear porgram elements linked together creates form

hq

spiral

meeting

staff

parking

the provacative aesthetic is porgam driven

The design of the library uses the ideology that form should follow function. Despite the irregular exterior form that is created, the the floor plans remain very simple and rectilinear. Instead of having an intentional exterior forms for aes-thetics and compromising the interior spaces to fit, the exterior forms have been dictated by the floor plans and the spaces within. The result has been an envelope and form that clearly displays each main programmatic aspect of the building and links them together with sharp angles and cantilevers. The program and arrangement of interior spaces has driven the form and created the unique aesthetic that has made the library so iconic.

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contextual driven form

hq

spiral

meeting

staff

parking

sun

elliot bay

shadow

mt rainier

While the program drove the form of the building in terms of floor plan and the vertical separation between program elements, OMA also incorporated its value of context in the design. The program elements were slid horizontally to address key site features. To provide views of Elliot Bay from the book spiral the building protrudes outwards towards the waterfront. In addition, the building then takes advantage of the sun angles and pushes the meeting spaces even further out to allow for controlled sunlight to enter the staff offices below. While the envelope and form seems to be a discernible blob it is in reality designed based on specific contextual issues such as views, shading and daylighting.and daylighting.

contextual features led to the shifted program elements and the sharp angled cantilevers

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continuem

the library’s book spiral offers uninterupted and easy searching

the spiral starts at 999 and works its way up to 000 number on the floor allow for easy wayfinding

Like Rem Koolhaas’s earlier work in the Educatorium, the Seattle Central Public Library features the idea of a con-tinuem. However, unlike the Educatorium where ceiling and ground planes were folded to wrap the builidng, the idea of the continuem has manifested itself into the way that the libraries most important function works. Instead of having stacks of books that requires one to contstantly walk to the end then back the design features a spiral of books that ramp upwards allowing for one continuous book stack. The book spiral uses the dewey decimal suystem and winds its way upwaqrds with numbers placed on the ground for each row to improve way finding and book searches.

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uniform skinThe shifted program elements of the library create unique angles and overhangs. OMA’s solution to this was a single envelope to wrap and enclose the structure. This concept of having a single wrapping membrane skin of glazing was a new concept for them and something unseen in their previous projects. The unusual cantilevers also required a complex structural system so OMA developed the envelope to be integrated in with steel wide flanges. Because the entire structure is wrapped in glass the glazing needs to be triple paned with imbedded steel mesh to help provide additional shading in southern exposed facades. The concept and idea of having free floating program elements enclosed in a single skin of steel and glass had a profound impact on the facade and aesthetic of the elements enclosed in a single skin of steel and glass had a profound impact on the facade and aesthetic of the building.

glazing diagram showing the expensive environmental controlsthe folds of the buildings envelope

the desire for a uniform skin presented many structural complexities

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sustainability

the library conserves energy by using daylighting and passive cooling

atrium uses the stack effect to passively cool the space the atrium and envelope provide daylighting

The design of the Seattle Central Public Library was designed with the values of sustainability and environmental stewardship in mind. OMA aimed for the design to exceed the existing city energy codes by 10 percent. The building is shaped by this value through the use of daylighting. The exterior envelope is all glazing with embedded shading allowing much of the spaces to naturally be lit. The living room also features an atrium that allows the light to pen-etrate deeply into the core of the library. This also acts as a heat stack for ventilation and passive cooling.

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the horses mouth

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justifying the form

— Architect Joshua Ramus, partner at the Rem Koolhaas-led Office for Metropolitan Architecture, quoted in ArchitectureWeek

While there is a strong argument that the libraries form comes from pushing boxes around it would appear that a lot of those moves were done not primarily for a contextual or programmatical reason. The buildings could have maintained views of Mt. Rainier, Elliot Bay, and provided shading without needing to protrude each box as much as it was done. It seems as though there was a sculptural attempt to make a unique form that was then

post rationalized and claimed to be for programmatic and contextual reasons.

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"Although the library is sculptural, it is not in any way an attempt to make a form. The library's appearance comes from pushing boxes around to stay within the height and setback restrictions

and zoning codes."

justifying the programmatic separation

— Official OMA press release quoted ion OMA’s website

The design of the Seattle Central Public Library features very distinct and consolidated spaces for each programatic function of the library. The main functions are well defined and separated vertically from one another. Within each defined program space however there is an open floorplan that allows for the space to change over time. This gives the spaces compartmentalized flexibility while allowing loosely defined social

spaces to exist in between. The design is successful at carrying out these values.

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"Our first operation was to "comb" and consolidate the library's apparently ungovernable proliferation of programs and media. We identified five "stable" programmatic clusters (parking, staff, meeting, Book Spiral, HQ) and arranged them on overlapping platforms, and four "unstable" clusters (kids, living room, Mixing Chamber, reading room) to occupy interstitial zones. Each area is architecturally defined and equipped for dedicated performance, with varying size, flexibility, circulation, palette, and structure."

justifying the awkward spaces

— Official OMA press release quoted ion OMA’s website

The building features many awkward and irregular space formed from the shifting programatic boxes. These spaces that are defined by the outer walls of those boxes and the buildings envelope make these “in-between spaces.” Due to their open nature and high ceilings they have become social spaces that serve as places of intersection for people moving from one space to another. The organization of the first floor, furthermore, encourages librarians to walk around and interact with the libraries patrons. However, the

programmatic boxes themselves are so strongly defined that there is little interaction between them and the inbetween spaces. This makes some of the smaller in between spaces feel isolated and uninviting.inbetween spaces. This makes some of the smaller in between spaces feel isolated and uninviting.

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"The in-between spaces are like trading floors where librarians inform and stimulate, where the interface between the different platforms is organized - spaces for work, interaction, and play.

(And reading)."

conclusion

The design of the building is described as hyper rational yet in reality it seems that the conceptual diagrams drove too much of the form. It is not rational to have a complex structure that performs poorly in earthquakes especially in Seattle. Furthermore the form of the building is clad in a single envelope. This much glazing is not sustainable and is extremely expensive and difficult to repair. The buildings protruding boxes is justified as being contextual yet simple shading devices or selective glazing walls would suffice. Protruding and cantilevering boxes is not the most efficient or “rational” way to achieve those slight contextual relationships. Fur-thermore, the library has been criticized by not addressing much of the streetscape by have only a few entrances and no spaces thermore, the library has been criticized by not addressing much of the streetscape by have only a few entrances and no spaces that can open up or interact with the street. The building though has very successfully achieved the goal of compartmentalized flexibility. Each program element feels like a distinct and defined space. the continuem of the book spiral also serves well and achieves the goal of improved wayfinding. Overall, OMA claims to have a rational reason for their formal decisions yet the result is a completely unrational building that is too much of an abstraction of diagrams to be a viable rational solution to their problems.

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The works of OMA and Rem Koolhaas all place extreme value in hyper rational process. The Seattle Public library is no different and has a lot of its form and organization being derived from an arranged stack of programatic functions. The firm prides itself on it’s lack of authorship and emphasis on community design. In this specific project librarians and users were involved throughout the whole design process. The building also

features the firms concept of compartmentalized flexibility which is a direct rejection to modernism. Social responsibility further shaped the building by the placement of a large public “living room” on the ground floor. The architects claim that the form was not sculppublic “living room” on the ground floor. The architects claim that the form was not sculp-tural but a response to the program and context, The ideas of a continuem found in the Educatorium are also found in the library through the design of the book spiral. The envelope is a continuous skin which is something not commonly seen in OMA’s

previous work. The design also shows some effort to address stainability through the use of high tech glass, daylighting, and passive cooling.

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