Katoomba Library, NSW, Australia

Name of the Library: Katoomba Library
Parent Organisation: Blue Mountains City Council

Street Address: 30 Parke St Katoomba NSW 2780 AUSTRALIA
Postal Address: Blue Mountains City Council Locked Bag 1005 Katoomba NSW 2780 AUSTRALIA
Telephone : +612 4780 5750

Web Address: http://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/yourcommunity/library or http://bluemountainsculturalcentre.com.au/new-katoomba-library/
Library Email: library@bmcc.nsw.gov.au

Type of Library: Joint use
Population served: 15,000
Project Type: New Building
Size: (square metres): 896m2
Date of Completion: November 2012
Architect: Building by Hassells Architects 
Interior Design & Fitout by CK Design International

Childrens area with ‘3 Sisters seating’

Description
With a panoramic vista as the backdrop, the Blue Mountains City Library opened the new Katoomba Library branch on Saturday 17 November, 2012.

Situated within the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre, the Library boasts the best views of any Library in the southern hemisphere. With plenty of natural light and lots of comfortable spaces for diverse community activities, it is also the first new library to be built in the Blue Mountains for over 30 years. The design, developed by CK Design International, is elegant and spacious, taking advantage of the location to provide breath-taking views of the Katoomba Township and the Jamison Valley beyond.

Since the grand opening, there has been a steady stream of members and visitors, with new membership rates across the library network increasing by up to 87%. Fortunately, the new building has nearly 3 times more space to accommodate this increase!   Numbers through the door doubled immediately and have continued to grow, month by month!

The new library includes adjustable meeting rooms, an inviting children’s area with specialised seating, and a mezzanine level with a brilliant view and lots of comfortable lounges allowing people to sit back and appreciate living in a World Heritage listed area. A laptop bench with plenty of access to power points and an increase in the number of computers available to the public have quickly proved themselves to be valuable aspects of the new library.

Meeting rooms host a number of events, from Author talks, to book launches, Poetry Slams, Children’s School Holiday activities, Storytimes, writing workshops, book groups and so much more. The Library has become an integral community hub.

If you haven’t had a chance to see this impressive new building yet, it is well worth a visit. Make a day of it and browse the library, tour the Art Gallery and Blue Mountains World Heritage Exhibition, get lunch or a coffee from the Cultural Centre Café.

Katoomba Library

Awards, case studies, further information

http://sourceable.net/green-interior-awards-winners-announced/

http://www.completehome.com.au/home_design_blog/interiors/home-design-magazine-australian-living-green-interior-awards-2014/

The overall winner, and winner of the Education category, was the impressive design by CK Design International of the Katoomba Library. A playful and inspiring interior, the judges commented, “How wonderful that a public project was able to be created into a comfortable healthy space that feels like you are in your own living room. The coupling of green interior products and design in this public building enables an extended reach of education about sustainability.”

Advertisement

Ryde Library, NSW, Australia

 

Ryde Library’s Distinctive Exterior.

Name of the Library: Ryde Library
Parent Organisation: Council of the City of Ryde

Street Address: 1 Pope St, RYDE NSW 2112
Postal Address: Locked Bag 2069, North Ryde 1680
Telephone : (+612) 9952 8352
(incl Country code)
Web Address: http://www.ryde.nsw.gov.au/library
Library Email: rydelibrary@ryde.nsw.gov.au

Type of Library Central/ Main Library
Population served: 124, 505
Project Type : New Building
Size (square metres): 2031
Date of Completion: May 2011
Architect: Graham Bakewell Architects

Description
Ryde Library is an inspiration of light, colour and activity, designed to create an inviting people space. Its clever use of subtle design elements creates a fresh, clean look that seamlessly guides foot traffic and meets the diverse needs of library users. Located next to the restaurants of a bustling shopping centre, the library is in an ideal location to be the heart of its community.

Its key strengths can be detailed in two ways; its form and flexibility.
In terms of form, Ryde Library has streamlined the traditional library model by zoning its floor plan and controlling curve and shape to direct pedestrian traffic. Areas are co-located by noise level and purpose. The entrance to the library gives way to a cathedral like area where computers, graphic novels and junior fiction are grouped in an exciting area. Long, stretching windows festooned with lounge chairs fill this vibrant and high energy space with light and the sprawling vista of the bustling highway below. There can be no mistake, with its array of comfortable chairs and tables, this area is intended for collaboration. The second, quieter area forested with the collection and desk/booth style seating is the domain of quiet study and book perusal, flagged by a lower ceiling and the nested design of the shelving.

Ryde Library Genre and Subject Rooms

An innovative use of curves and angles attracts the eye and prompts library users into a walking flow that offers them a view of all available areas as they pass before delivering them directly into the library’s extensive collection. Colours also interplay with shape to allow for the easy identification of key areas. Walls curve and stretch, blazoned in a bright orange that pulls the library user into the space. This is complemented by orange and green lounging chairs which line walls and furnish nooks to keep the eye engaged. Angled rooms combine with angled shelving configurations to encourage users to leave no path unexplored.
In terms of flexibility, the library floor plan is easily worked into multiple configurations. With all its shelving on wheels and with movable furniture, the library can be moulded to fit its current purpose or need. Events and programs with larger audiences can easily be accommodated by adjusting shelving placement and supplying additional lightweight seating that would normally reside out of sight in nearby storage. For example, large authors platform events with journalist Paul Barry (2014) and astronomer Fred Watson (2013) that brought over one hundred attendees were easily furnished through the innate dexterity of the floor plan. Wheeled tables in meeting rooms allow for space repurposing for small events of fifty or less. Cushioned ‘lilypads’ and bollards transform the children’s area from an exploratory, self-determined space into a welcoming, softer zone for Rhymetimes and Storytimes where library staff can seamlessly create parking space for prams, direct incoming pedestrian traffic and engage audiences of one hundred or more at a time. After the session, the area easily returned to its former glory with the reintroduction of games and equipment, including a giant chess set.
This flexibility also allows the accommodation of ‘reading nooks’ and ‘genre rooms’ as library shelving can be easily moved to create corners and enclosed areas. These inviting alcoves, fitted with low tables and lounge chairs, create a feeling of comfort and protection. These niches surround the reader in their subject or genre of choice – Students, for example, throng together in the science and technology section as they study and use the resources (and gossip too) while the Lee Child enthusiast will pull up a chair in the curve of the crime and mystery section, looking over to the thriller section, encasing them in a visual representation of their favourite stories and novels. Well placed television screens provide a rotating presentation of library events and information, while a large projection screen beyond the service desk provides an ever-changing display of favourite literary quotes, poems and artworks to inspire readers old and new. Power sockets and library wifi allow users to choose any area that pleases them.
Ryde Library continues to experience growth in visits, loans and wifi logins which demonstrates its growing role in the local community. Its clear and distinctive design makes it an evident landmark and a vibrant community space. Its form provides easy access to its treasures, as its flexibility tailors to the breadth of the library’s services.

Ulladulla Library, NSW, Australia

External View, Ulladulla Library

Name of the Library: Shoalhaven Libraries, Ulladulla
Parent Organisation: Shoalhaven Libraries, Nowra

Street Address: Civic Centre, Princes Highway, Ulladulla NSW 2539
Postal Address: Civic Centre, Princes Highway, Ulladulla NSW 2539
Telephone : +61244448820
Web Address: http://shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au/MyCommunity/Library/Yourlocallibrary/UlladullaLibrary.aspx
Library Email: ulladullalibrary@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au

Type of Library: Small Community Library
Population served: 20,000
Project Type: New Library
Size (square metres): 600
Date of Completion 28.5.2014
Architect Edmiston Jones Architects

Description
An eye-catching modern building incorporating spectacular floor to ceiling windows that allow natural light to enhance the bright new space.

Four separate study rooms as well as dedicated lounge and reading areas, children’s and young adult spaces allow all patrons to enjoy a tailored experience.

Our collection of books, magazines, DVDs, music CDs and audio books in both CD and MP3 formats has expanded to fit our larger library, which has ramp access and public toilet facilities.

Internet is available free of charge to library members on any of our 12 public computers, and free Wi-Fi is available to everyone.

Lounge Area, Ulladulla Library

We offer a self-service loan station, online catalogue, printing/photocopying and a charging station for mobile devices.

We deliver a monthly rhymetime (0-18mths) and storytime (2-5years) program and patrons can catch up with the latest media events on one of our state of the art televisions