Chinatown BranchBoston Public Library

Presented by: Jason D. Nosek, Joaquin Falcon, & John

BrdeckaLIS 779 - Planning & Equipping Libraries

Professor Christopher Stewart

Boston Public Library System• Founded in 1848, BPL was the first

large free municipal public library in the United States

• McKim (Central Library) on Copley Square and 25 neighborhood branches

• 3+ million visitors per year

• 2012 operating budget: $39.7 million

Source: www.bpl.org/general

Project Architects

Miller Dyer Spears, Boston, MA

• Specializing in learning space and campus design for secondary and higher education, the healthcare industry, and more

Source: www.mds-bos.com/

Client list includes:

• M.I.T.

• Northeastern University

• Mount Holyoke College

• Brandeis University

• City of Boston

• Harvard University

• UMass Amherst

Project Architects, cont'd

Source: www.mds-bos.com/?mdsact=projects

Branch History

• First Chinatown branch established in 1896o Offered multilingual collections, ESL classes,

citizenship information, and employment assistance

o Closed in 1938o Reopened as a reading room from 1951-1956o Building demolished in 1956 for the Boston

Central Artery (now the Rose Kennedy Greenway)

• One of the few neighborhoods w/o a branch

• Advocacy since 2001; 2006 feasibility study

Site Selection

Four sites chosen for the from eleven listed in feasibility study:

• Parcel A, 17,362sf

• Parcel P12, 17,362sf

• Tufts Lot, 14,305sf

• Hudson Street, 19,187sf

*all sf represents gross area

User Segmentation

Service Area:

User Segmentation, cont'dDemographics in service area*:

• Asian population: 51.7%

• English (only) speakers: 40.2%

• Asian language speakers: 51.5%

• Median household income: $22,213

• 9th grade education: 32.1%

• Unemployment rate: 10.8%

• Age 0-16: 12.4%

• Age 65+: 19.4%*from 2005 study

Community ConsiderationsResidents voices were heard by way of:

• Two well attended public meetings

• An advisory council composed of "key members of the Chinatown community"

• Six public advisory council presentations

Cultural accommodations:

• Tea service accounted for in adjacencies

• 415 sf devoted to cultural artifact displays

• Eight computers dedicated to language ed

Key Specifications

• Collection size: approx. 55,000 items

• Shelving: approx. 5,500 linear feet

• Gross building area: 20,830 sf

• Interior building area: 19,485 sf

• Cost per sf (Hudson St.): $554.91

• Seating for 372 (w/rooms)

• Estimated cost by location: o Parcel A: $5,157,650o Parcel P12: $5,157,650o Tufts Lot: $4,248,352o Hudson Street: $10,647,006

Assignable Space: Public• Entry/Circulation

o Prominent, multi-lingual signageo Self-serve checkout kioskso Laptop borrowingo Community bulletin board

• Meeting/Multi Purposeo Large meeting space for 120 peopleo Near entry for after hour community useo Large meeting must be adjacent to public

washrooms

Assignable Space: Public• Adult Services

o Must include an Asian Language, ESL, and Asian Language Instruction collection

o Stacks should be of differing heights to reduce visual barriers and incorporate seating

o Both study carrels and casual seating are required

Assignable Space: Public• Children’s Services

o Secure areao Near entrance, near garden/courtyardo Fun flexible furnitureo Separate crafts roomo Storytelling areao Display area for artwork

Assignable Space: Public• Young Adult

o Adequate space for group/collaborative studyo Flexible modular furniture to allow for

reconfiguration of furnitureo Separate College Resource Center

• Cultural Displayo A Central larger display area with smaller

satellite displays disbursed throughout the library

o All display areas and cases should be located for good visual coverage by staff and patrons

Assignable Space: Staff

• Staffo Main area must be adjacent to the main entry

and the loading access for the libraryo A small workroom on each level is required if

the library is on more than one floor

Non-Assignable Space

• Building Supporto Adequate support space and infrastructure

for LEED rating is requiredo Systems must be flexible to the greatest

extent possible to allow for program and technological change

Adjacencies: The Matrix

Interiors

Library must be perceived as part of the community; entrance has to be highly visible and on 1st floor

• Welcome, open feeling specified

• Entrance vestibule leads to lobby, adjacent to Circulation

• Prominent sight lines specified for entry areas

Interiors, cont.

• Shelvingo Specified and designed for different service

areas of buildingo Stacks specified to be a varying heights, with

carrels intermixedo Lower stacks must have a durable topo Reference collection shelving, “12 shelves, 5

shelves high”o Children’s collection: 48 shelves, 5 shelves

higho Separate, utilitarian shelving designated for

staff areas (e.g. metal shelving)

Interiors, cont.

• Lightingo All reading rooms and areas must have

access to natural lighto Natural light and views to be maximized

throughout the buildingo Light fixtures specified for each section of

buildingo Ambient and spot lighting designated for

main public areaso Spotlighting specified for artworko Conference rooms equipped with dimmable

fixtures

Interiors, cont.

• Lightingo Group study + meeting rooms equipped with

low glare task lightingo Lighting between stacks required; not

specified as “top up” or “down”o Low glare lighting accounted for in computer

areaso “Playful” accent lighting for children’s areas

Interiors, cont.

• Décor• General furnishings established for each area

in building

• Flexible modular furniture used throughout YA and Children’s areas, with size adaptations made for respective areas

• Décor to be influenced by Asian perspective, especially in the Central Cultural Display area

• Walls in Lobby/Circulation areas to have high level of finish, complemented with wood and stone wainscoting

Interiors, cont.

• Décor• Outdoor space furnished with 4 Chinese

chess tables + chairs, with additional seating throughout

• Artwork within public spaces to be maximized, assumed that some will be temporary displays

Way finding

• Overall design is thoughtful, and laid-out in a welcoming, easy to navigate design

• Plentiful signage accounted for; multilingual usage throughout the facility, all signs to be ADA + MAAB compliant

• Design utilizes minimal directional signage, with the building relying on adequate sightlines to direct flow through building

Service Points

• Circulation Desk, located adjacent to entrance/lobby is main service + circ station

• Design specifies 2 self-checkout stations, located adjacent to circulation desk

• Book drop room separate from Circulation desk, vestibule area includes off-hours book drop as well

• Design accounts for Adult Services Librarian Desk

Service Points

• Children’s area a large space; separate Children's Librarian desk central within the room

• All points in Children’s area within direct sight of central Librarian’s desk is required

• YA Services room "controlled" by Librarian Desk at room entrance, group study room in corner could become an issue for staff due to its isolation

Outdoor Space

Essential for library to include this exterior program element

• Envisioned as a garden, courtyard or terrace

• Should be “restful retreat” for reading, conversation, and contemplation

• Sheltered and defined by surrounding library architecture

Outdoor Space, cont.

• Should be places to play chess, sit and read, and converse

• Needs sense of connection between interior and exterior library spaces

• Sheltered and defined by surrounding library architecture

• Views into exterior space should be accessed by as many program areas as possible

Safety and Security

• Security emphasized throughout building plan

• Multiple panic buttons accounted for, at main desk, in the unisex Children’s restroom, and in adult restrooms

• Coat room a “non-secure” area

• No panic alarm in loading dock area; access is limited to library staff

• After-hours community room use could be problematic

Acoustics

Acoustic separation considered critical for the building’s design and use

• Through-wall and through-slab sound transmission is minimal

• Mechanical systems are isolated

• Sound absorptive flooring to be used throughout the building, either carpeting or cork floors

• Design accounts for embellished acoustic separation of YA section from rest of facility

Technology + Electrical

Access to technology considered critical, as crucial for its main constituents; young adults, new immigrants, and those in a lower-income bracket

• Design accounts for both hardwired and Wi-Fi Internet access

• Teleconferencing and other communication technology accounted for in building plan

Technology + Electrical, cont.

• Translation equipment and multilingual technology requested in plan

• Tables throughout the building are to be wired for power/data

• System designed to be flexible for future change in technology

Comfort

• Design accounts for “noisy” and “quiet” areas

• Flexible seating used throughout; would like to see more soft seating specified

• Outdoor garden to be a traditional Chinese garden, with emphasis on contemplation

• “Coffee shop” vibe replaced with “teahouse” feel

• Use of healthy indoor materials, including overall air quality

• Extensive accommodation for natural daylight + views

Flexibility and Use

• Building plan allocates space for large (120 person) Community Meeting room

• Community/Cultural displays a feature of the design

• Kitchenette required, mainly “a place to serve tea from”

• At least one additional 20 person conference room is required by the plan as well

• Plan allocates for separate “Recycling Room”, adjacent to Loading Dock

Flexibility and Use

• Building plan specifies LEED Silver building practices

• Restroom facilities minimal; one each for Men + Women, one Unisex Children, and one Unisex Staff restroom included in plan

• Staff area adjacent to Children’s/YA area, may not be the most practical placement; space concerns may hinder future expansion

Overall

Positives• Community

involvement

• Library planned around community needs

• Very thorough plan: from branch history to room adjacencies to area mock-ups

• Program transparent and made available

• Very culturally aware

Negatives

• Too many sites

• Too difficult to secure prefered site (3 parcels)

• Perhaps unrealistic in space needs; garden?

• Meeting room in center?

• Loading dock?

• Perhaps too much emphasis on local culture; are other branches similar?

Epilogue

• BPL's Chinatown Branch was never built--at least not yet. Building plan finished in 2008

• Community still rallied around having a library & cultural centero "Chinatown Storefront Library" created

independently from BPL, though it used this BPL building program. October 2009 - January 2010.

o Chinatown Lantern & Cultural Educational Center, a 800sf reading room and gathering place opened in April of 2012. It is located on the ground floor of the Oak Terrace apartment complex and partnered with both BPL and the Chinatown Storefront Library.

Epilogue, cont'd.

Sources: http://www.storefrontlibrary.org/ & http://www.chinatownlantern.org/gallery/

Thank you for your attention!

References

About Us. (n.d.).Chinatown Lantern and Cultural Educational Center. Retrieved November 14, 2012, from http://www.chinatownlantern.org/about/

Boston Public Library. (2008). Chinatown Library, Boston

Massachusetts: Program & Sitting Study. Boston:

MDS, Inc.Boston Street Lab, Inc. (n.d.). About the project.

Storefront library: A temporary library in a vacant

storefront. Retrieved November 14, 2012, from http://www.storefrontlibrary.org/about

*All images have been sourced from the building program unless otherwise noted

References, cont'd

General and Contact Information. (n.d.). Boston Public Library. Retrieved November 10, 2012, from http://www.bpl.org/general/

Miller Dyer Spears. (n.d.). Firm Overview. MDS / Miller

Dyer Spears. Retrieved November 10, 2012, from

http://www.mds-bos.com/philosophy/firm-overview/

Miller Dyer Spears. (n.d.). Projects. MDS / Miller Dyer

Spears. Retrieved November 10, 2012, from http://www.mds-bos.com/?mdsact=projects