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Temple University Library
Temple University Library
Philadelphia, PA, United States
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Other Projects by Snøhetta
Temple University Library
Philadelphia, PA, United States
Firm
Type
STATUS
Concept
SIZE
100,000 sqft - 300,000 sqft
Photos
In Fall 2018, North Philadelphia will be the home of Snøhetta’s newest library,
designed in collaboration with Stantec. The Temple University Library will provide a new
social and academic heart for the campus of 37,800 students. A variety of study spaces,
resource centers, sophisticated information technology, public spaces and event hall
will be housed under one roof, establishing a vibrant center for both students and
the surrounding community. The design received unanimous support from the city of
Philadelphia’s Civic Design Review in the fall of 2015 and will soon begin construction.
The design is inspired by the historic academies of Greek antiquity, where social
spaces for exchanging ideas were primary and storage of written content took a
secondary role. Snøhetta’s design challenges the traditional typology of the research
library solely as a repository for books and archives, and instead provides a diversity
of spaces that will spark chance encounters, enable collaboration, and encourage
knowledge-sharing amongst its users. Notably, the new library uses an automated book
retrieval system to store the majority of the University’s more than 2 million volumes.
The ASRS significantly reduces the amount of space needed to store books and allows
the building to provide more collaborative learning space and student resources.
Located at the intersection of two major pedestrian pathways and adjacent to a
future campus quadrangle, the library will anchor a new academic and social core for
Temple University. The surrounding landscape of terraced plazas step up to the library
entrances, providing outdoor classrooms and opportunities for informal gatherings.
The new library’s architecture is defined by a solid base clad in vertical sections of rough stone that references the materials of the surrounding campus context. The
grand wooden arched entrances cut into the stone volume and announce a welcoming
point of entry. Expanses of pleated frameless glass supported on steel mullions create
maximum transparency at the major entrances. The arches continue into the building,
forming a 3-story domed atrium lobby with white terrazzo floors. The lobby, café, central
atrium and 24/7 zone, which is unimpeded by security checkpoints, will welcome in the
surrounding community as well as Temple students.
An oculus carved into the lobby’s domed atrium opens up views to each corner of
the building, serving as a wayfinding anchor and placing the user at the center of the
library’s activity. As users circulate the building, this visual and physical connectivity
allows the individual to take stock of their bearings and encourages students to use all
of the building’s resources. In addition to interactive and generative learning spaces,
the library also provides moments for introspective study. Arriving at the top floor, the
visitor reaches a sun-filled reading room with traditional browsing stacks. Its light and
airy character rises from the more opaque base, and opens up to the library’s greenroof
via a terrace with stepped seating, providing a unique outdoor space for students.
This new library will put Temple University at the forefront of progressive research
institutions. Acting as a new social, cultural, and intellectual hub for the university and
surrounding community, the design serves the contemporary needs of a world-class
research facility and its students.
designed in collaboration with Stantec. The Temple University Library will provide a new
social and academic heart for the campus of 37,800 students. A variety of study spaces,
resource centers, sophisticated information technology, public spaces and event hall
will be housed under one roof, establishing a vibrant center for both students and
the surrounding community. The design received unanimous support from the city of
Philadelphia’s Civic Design Review in the fall of 2015 and will soon begin construction.
The design is inspired by the historic academies of Greek antiquity, where social
spaces for exchanging ideas were primary and storage of written content took a
secondary role. Snøhetta’s design challenges the traditional typology of the research
library solely as a repository for books and archives, and instead provides a diversity
of spaces that will spark chance encounters, enable collaboration, and encourage
knowledge-sharing amongst its users. Notably, the new library uses an automated book
retrieval system to store the majority of the University’s more than 2 million volumes.
The ASRS significantly reduces the amount of space needed to store books and allows
the building to provide more collaborative learning space and student resources.
Located at the intersection of two major pedestrian pathways and adjacent to a
future campus quadrangle, the library will anchor a new academic and social core for
Temple University. The surrounding landscape of terraced plazas step up to the library
entrances, providing outdoor classrooms and opportunities for informal gatherings.
The new library’s architecture is defined by a solid base clad in vertical sections of rough stone that references the materials of the surrounding campus context. The
grand wooden arched entrances cut into the stone volume and announce a welcoming
point of entry. Expanses of pleated frameless glass supported on steel mullions create
maximum transparency at the major entrances. The arches continue into the building,
forming a 3-story domed atrium lobby with white terrazzo floors. The lobby, café, central
atrium and 24/7 zone, which is unimpeded by security checkpoints, will welcome in the
surrounding community as well as Temple students.
An oculus carved into the lobby’s domed atrium opens up views to each corner of
the building, serving as a wayfinding anchor and placing the user at the center of the
library’s activity. As users circulate the building, this visual and physical connectivity
allows the individual to take stock of their bearings and encourages students to use all
of the building’s resources. In addition to interactive and generative learning spaces,
the library also provides moments for introspective study. Arriving at the top floor, the
visitor reaches a sun-filled reading room with traditional browsing stacks. Its light and
airy character rises from the more opaque base, and opens up to the library’s greenroof
via a terrace with stepped seating, providing a unique outdoor space for students.
This new library will put Temple University at the forefront of progressive research
institutions. Acting as a new social, cultural, and intellectual hub for the university and
surrounding community, the design serves the contemporary needs of a world-class
research facility and its students.
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