Schematic Design Review - 8/15/13

Hello everyone,

The design work for the new Mendenhall Valley Public Library is nearing the halfway point.  Schematic design, the second of four design phases, is scheduled to be complete shortly after our next public meeting, which will be on August 15^th, 6:30pm, at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library in the Mendenhall Mall.  I hope you can make the meeting and give us your feedback, thoughts, and suggestions.  If you can’t, there are a couple of other ways to provide your feedback:

·         Visit the library in the Mendenhall Mall.  There is a display with architectural drawings and a suggestion box.

·         Leave a comment on this web page.

·         Shoot me an email.

Additionally, the slides from the last public meeting are now posted under the “Documents” tab above.  My apologies for the delay.

Here are a couple of pictures to give you an idea of where we are right now in the process.  Keep in mind that there is still much design work to do.

This image shows the site where the library will be placed.  The thick orange arrows cover Riverside Drive, while the thinner orange arrow notes the primary entry into Dimond Park.  The library will be positioned on the yellow star, and the light green oval represents a stand of large trees which will remain between the library and the aquatic center.  The dotted yellow lines represent the range of the sun during the winter and summer, and weather primarily comes from the direction indicated by the thick blue arrow.  I’m excited about this site placement.  Dimond Park has the potential to become a community center for the Mendenhall Valley and the placement of the library on this site, already home to a number of key educational and recreational resources, significantly strengthens a sense of center in this area.

Here we see what the floor plan currently looks like.  Note the canopy covering the plaza area before the front doors – this will allow for covered benches and bike parking.  We’ve also programmed in a significant increase in meeting room space, including a large 70-100 person room, a smaller 10 person room, and four 1-6 person study rooms.

In this image, you can see some very early 3D models of what the building will look like.  We’ve settled on a single, sloped roof form.  This type of roof form helps control costs, allows for easy maintenance, and funnels rain and snow into a controllable area.  The top elevation displays the entry of the library from the parking lot, while the bottom image is taken from the perspective of driving South on Riverside Drive.  You can also see some potential material choices in the light wood (underside of the roof), and variable slate brick (exterior).

I’ll continue to post on this Friends of the Library web page as things develop and I hope to see you at the public meeting on the 15^th.

All the best,

Robert Barr

Library Director

Juneau Public Libraries