The $7.7 million renovation of the first-floor East Wing of Stanford University’s Green Library reflects the library’s educational focus on technology.
CAW Architects designed the renovation of the 30,390-sf wing, which was completed in six months last December and reopened on January 3, 2022 as Hohbach Hall. The library stacks in the wing were converted into collaboration and study spaces, as well as presentation rooms and offices, thus transforming the nearly 50-year-old building into an exhibit space and learning hub.
An “oscillating” ceiling
According to Stanford, patrons engage this space in numerous ways.
The library’s gallery—which showcases the Silicon Valley Archives’ collection of the region’s pioneering technology—remains the wing’s centerpiece. Along the central corridor is a promenade of exhibition cases with a walnut ceiling overhead that now mimics the sine wave, a nod to the audio oscillator that was developed in this region. Cost-saving customized elements include a wood slat ceiling product that CAW finessed to create this pattern.
The reverse of the pattern is evident in the wing’s customized carpeting to insinuate silence.
A presentation space at the center of the hall can be outfitted for events and seminars. That space also includes group and individual study desks, several of which look out onto the campus’s Red Fountain and green areas.
The project’s Building Team included Rinne Peterson Structural Engineers, Hilhouse Construction, the furniture consultant RMA Studio, and furniture vendor KBM-Hogue. The renovation was made possible by the Harold and Marilyn Hohbach Foundation.
Related Stories
| Nov 9, 2010
Designing a library? Don’t focus on books
How do you design a library when print books are no longer its core business? Turn them into massive study halls. That’s what designers did at the University of Amsterdam, where they transformed the existing 27,000-sf library into a study center—without any visible books. About 2,000 students visit the facility daily and encounter workspaces instead of stacks.
| Nov 3, 2010
Seattle University’s expanded library trying for LEED Gold
Pfeiffer Partners Architects, in collaboration with Mithun Architects, programmed, planned, and designed the $55 million renovation and expansion of Lemieux Library and McGoldrick Learning Commons at Seattle University. The LEED-Gold-designed facility’s green features include daylighting, sustainable and recycled materials, and a rain garden.
| Oct 13, 2010
Bookworms in Silver Spring getting new library
The residents of Silver Spring, Md., will soon have a new 112,000-sf library. The project is aiming for LEED Silver certification.
| Aug 11, 2010
JE Dunn, Balfour Beatty among country's biggest institutional building contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 50 Institutional Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Jacobs, Arup, AECOM top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 75 largest international design firms
A ranking of the Top 75 International Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Harvard Public Library
Harvard, Mass.
Five years ago, the town of Harvard, Mass., which lies about 30 miles west of Boston, faced two problems. First, its iconic public schoolhouse, known as Old Bromfield, which was built in 1877, had become outdated. So, too, had its public library, which had no room to grow on its site.
| Aug 11, 2010
Gilbane, Whiting-Turner among nation's largest university contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 50 University Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit /giants
