The new city library of Southfield, Mich., a striking three-story glass tower, serves as a welcoming grand entry to patrons and a symbolic beacon of knowledge for the community. Library staff turned to Phillips Swager Associates, Dallas, to undertake a needs assessment and develop a detailed program for a replacement facility. Philips Swager interviewed every member of the library staff, as well as city officials, to create an environment that promotes discovery and exploration, comfort and ease of use, function, and accessibility to all in the community. The team has had immediate gratification: in the first three months since the library opened, circulation has increased 65 percent, library card registration is up by 300 percent, and computer use has improved 150 percent.

“Club Med for the mind”
The architectural forms reinforce central themes of discovery and exploration. Curved and grid-like elements show up in special design features throughout the building, such as quotations embedded in terrazzo floors, and inspirational words along the connective stairway.

“There are stunning features everywhere you turn,” says an appreciative Douglas A. Zyskowski, city librarian. “If you were to take just one element, it would be a focal point for any library. We have not only that one element, but all of them! It is a Club Med for the mind.”

Each of the library floors conveys a different character and ambience. The first-level youth-area features stimulate children and encourage reading, including a storybook castle and dragon’s den, a reader’s tree house, and story-time space station, all in durable materials and bright colors. For young adults, the firm created an upbeat, club-like atmosphere. The second-floor adult fiction area is finished in light-cherry furnishings and materials to express a residential feel. The third floor, which houses reference materials and the Southfield history room, uses darker wood and more traditional furniture, finishes, and lighting.

The design also stresses functional efficiency for both patrons and staff. The librarians, previously confined to dark quarters, can now enjoy large expanses of glass and natural light in workrooms and comfortable lounge areas. For patrons, seating areas offer different size chairs and varied seating options, fireplaces on each level, and outdoor terraced gardens. Information technology, formerly lacking, is now accessible and integrated throughout the library. Natural light also infuses the public areas, and patrons can take advantage of outdoor garden views and the Southfield cityscape. And, finally, the design feature bound to be a town favorite: the drive-up express pick-up window. Fast food for the brain; sounds delicious.

—Tracy Ostroff

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