Arcadia University Landman Library
Glenside, Pa.
R.M.Kliment & Frances Halsband Architects

Library expansion creates a landmark in the heart of the campus

© Cervin Robinson

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Arcadia University staged an architectural competition to renovate and expand its library. R.M. Kliment & Frances Halsband's winning design placed the new wing at the south face of the existing library. The addition completes the central campus, forming a quadrangle with the historic Grey Towers Castle, student dormitories and academic buildings. It also defines a series of outdoor spaces to the east and west. The curved limestone south face of the library becomes a memorable landmark, a distinctive presence at the heart of the campus.

The expanded library accommodates 150,000 volumes, a multimedia collection, the college archive, and a curriculum library for the education program. Its design enhances the reader's experience by providing many different spaces for reading and study, with access to controlled daylight and campus views. Reading rooms contain seating for 300 students; there are group study rooms, individual carrels and multimedia classrooms. A two-story reading room on the second floor extends the full width of the building and looks out over the green to the Castle. Daylight enters through monumental wood windows with adjustable sunscreens and shutters, as well as through clerestory windows. At night the room is a lantern for the heart of campus.

A ground floor reference room extends the full width of the building and incorporates the reference collection, exhibit space, circulation desk, and computer workstations. Periodicals are housed in a new lounge defined by a two-story-high glazed space that faces north to a garden and west to a grove of beech trees. The circulating collection is housed on three floors of reconfigured, accessible stacks in the older portion of the building that is adjacent to study and faculty carrels, group study rooms, and a small cafe. Multimedia collections, university archive, compact shelving, and multimedia classrooms are situated on the lower level, with a separate entrance.

Formal name of Project:
Arcadia University Landman Library

Location:
Glenside, Pa.

Gross square footage:
Total Construction: 52,200 sq. ft.
Renovation: 26,300 sq. ft.
New Construction: 25,900 sq. ft.

Total construction cost:
$8.2 Million

Owner:
Arcadia University

Architect:
R.M.Kliment & Frances Halsband Architects
255 West 26 Street
New York, NY 10001
212.243.7400
fax: 212.633.9769
www.kliment-halsband.com