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| space of communication | |||
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In the future, all books will be on-line, easily accessible from anywhere in the world … from the comfort of your own home to the airport lounge. Therefore, we propose that the library of the future will no longer be a repository for physical books, but rather, be a space of communication, both synchronous and asynchronous, with both local and virtual interaction. The main programmatic space will be the large reading room - the "network". This reading room will be surrounded by the other spaces of communication: the "pod"; the "collaborative research spaces"; the "auditorium"; and the "entry/cafe". | ||
| interactive exchange of ideas | |||
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The reading room's main visual focus is a large curved "network" panel. The panel is structurally composed of transverse ribs, triangulated cabling for data transmission; an interior LCD screen for viewing information; and a transparent exterior skin that doubles as the roof. The "network" will have different purposes depending on where one is located. As "foreground", it will be used in an active sense by the library users who are "plugged in." As "background", it will be used in a passive sense by the users who choose to view the panel at their leisure – waiting for a friend at the café; waiting for a "moment of inspiration"; or waiting for a lecture in the auditorium to start. | ||
| new building type | |||
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Each library, whether it is on a university campus, in a local elementary school, or in a half-way home, will have these same elements: the "network"; the "pod"; the "collaborative research spaces"; the "auditorium"; and the "entry/cafe". A key design strategy is the spatial inter-dependence of these elements to create a dynamic visual experience for the library user. The actual square footage of each element will vary according to the needs of the community, allowing the "network library" to evolve as a new building type. This design will be flexible enough to allow the building to conform to physical site constraints like mountainous terrain as well as to be easily "plugged into" existing structures. | ||
| design | network | pod | collaborative research spaces | entry cafe | animation | cover | |||
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