Alyssa Wejebe
The new Library/Learning Crossroads Building took center stage at the Pierce Council College meeting March 25. Paul Murdoch, founder and president of the professional corporation Paul Murdoch Architects, showed a Power Point presentation on the new library construction project his company has been working on.
The presentation contained design floor plans and concept images of the building.
Murdoch said the new library would be two stories tall.
Prior to the library renovation project, the current cafeteria would be demolished.
The new building will fit a triangular corner at the western end of the Campus Mall that includes the site of the old cafeteria.
Service Learning, Center for Academic Success, Distance Education and Faculty Staff Resource Center, an open Computing Lab, and a Welcome Center for student success will be on the first floor of the new building.
Murdoch said the building is organized around a “landscaped courtyard.”
Murdoch said there would be a cool oasis-like feel in the courtyard with a fountain and shade trees.
An open reading area in the library will look out on the courtyard and the mall.
A Food Court will also be on the first floor.
It’s planned to have outside vendors work with food services.
The second floor will contain the library.
The main entrance of the library will be near the center of the Campus Mall. Murdoch said that the plan is to “create a very grand kind of entrance.”
The design of the new library will also have decorative Mexican tile.
Murdoch said the interior palette would be very complementary to the exterior.
Besides the Power Point, Murdoch also had samples of the intended materials.
Samples of terra cotta roof, glass, decorative tile and metal work were mounted on boards. These were for the exterior of the library.
Murdoch said that the metalwork would resemble Mission style architecture.
White oak was included in physical samples for the library interior.
He said the library would have an elevator tower. There will be a total of three elevators.
A PCC member voiced some concern over how accessible the elevators really would be.
Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh, vice president of academic affairs, said that Murdoch had worked on the project for over five years.
Abu-Ghazaleh said he had “seen the design morphing.”
Abu-Ghazaleh applauded the library effort, and said that the new building will end up being the “focal” to the “whole college,” that it will be the “social center.”
According to the Paul Murdoch Architects website, the library renovation project costs $4 million.
Chair of the Pierce Library Department, Florence Robin, remarked on the aesthetics of the new library.
“It’s a very beautiful building,” she said.
Robin said that it “should be very comfortable for students.”
Robin’s goals for the new library focus on improvement.
“I want the library portion of this building to be the best it can be.”
Robin said that there were plans to renovate the old building, but that “it was decided that Pierce deserved a new library.”
Robin said that it was too early in the process to say how moving library materials into the new building would be handled. But she said that they would try not to disturb library services to students.
Robin talked of school involvement in the construction process.
“The librarians have had a great deal of input,” she said. For example, she said they have approved design documents.
“We have meetings with the architects and project managers,” said Robin. She said that representatives of other programs scheduled to be located in the new building are also present at the meetings, such as the Learning Center.
Robin had a prediction about the new library.
“Students will be happy to be there.”
More information and some concept images of the library can be found at http://www.paulmurdocharchitects.com/projects/pierce.htm.
The next PCC meeting will be April 22. More information can be found at http://faculty.piercecollege.edu/pcc/.