MCCarthy LibraryNapa VaLLey CoLLege

2010

Letter froM the presideNt

The new McCarthy Library has been a transformative project for Napa Valley College, both in realizing some of the primary goals of our Measure N Bond Program and in enhancing student life on the campus. Since opening in August of 2010, the library gate count has averaged over 1,600 visits per day compared to previous counts of 200-300 per day at the old library. The library reflects a generational shift towards collaborative learning and the new campus plaza acts as a cultural and community hub for the students and the greater community. Today, the new McCarthy Library along with the recently opened Performing Arts Center are the anchor projects that enhance the academic and cultural life for students, as well as engaging the community more directly in the life of the college

Technological facilitation and opportunities for collaborative learning were key design objectives. Nearly one third of the 500 seats in the library have fixed computer stations. These computer stations along the eleven group study areas are in constant demand. The building houses a full spectrum of learning opportunities including a tutorial and testing center, disabilities resources and a faculty teaching and learning center.

Above all the building is an expression of our aspirations as an institution of higher learning. The architecture is a contemporary and forward thinking interpretation of the original campus architecture. I want to welcome students, faculty, staff and the community to this wonderful new building.

Dr. Edna BaehreSuperintendent / President

MCCarthy LibraryLibraries are pivotal in creating a vibrant and collaborative campus culture. In an era where information can be obtained instantaneously at almost any location, libraries have continued to prosper and grow rather than diminishing in importance. McCarhty Library has quickly become the heart of the campus because of its role in supporting the social and academic missions of higher education.

The McCarthy Library at Napa Valley College in Napa, California opened in August of 2010. The intensity of use of the new facility in the following months confirmed the unmet need for a modern technologically advanced library. Use of the library went from two to three hundred visits a day to an average of over sixteen hundred visits per day.

This booklet explores some of the ideas that drove the design of the building how the design meets the educational and cultural needs of the Napa Valley College campus.

Alan Butler AIA, Senior Principal & Library PlannerTLCDarChiteCture

CaMpus hubBefore the McCarthy Library opened, the Napa Valley College campus lacked public gathering

spaces and a central place for students to study between classes. A major focus of the design was

the large public plaza sited along the main pedestrian spine of the campus. The plaza provides

a venue for informal gathering as well as performances and graduations on two stages at the

perimeter. Gathered around the plaza and animating its life are the more public spaces of the

library: a community room, lobby, café, and a highly visible staircase leading to the second floor.

community room

foyer

cafe

stage

stage

main campus path

pubLiC to priVate gradieNtThe library design supports a variety of learning activities. Learning can occur as a collaborative

or solitary activity and takes place in both formal and informal settings. The most public spaces,

such as the lobby, cafe, and community room are located at the main entry. Library uses are more

public and collaborative near the entry point and graduate to quieter spaces to the rear. A variety

of seating types and spatial configurations allow formal and informal interactions, individual study

at library tables and solitary reading near windows in a comfortable chair.

social collaborative focused

CLear orgaNizatioNThe “wall”, the two story high ochre colored plastered wall that runs the length of the library, is the

chief organizing element of the library. East of the wall are the support offices for the library staff,

many of the book stacks, and classrooms that support library activities. On the second floor are a

bank of classrooms, learning resource departments and teacher training facilities overlooking the

main reading room. The main reading room is entirely flanked by the wall, that extends out to the

exterior as a consistent unifying element of the building. The “floating classroom” projecting over

the reading room marks the reference desk below.

Reading Room

Support Facilties & Classroms Above

aCCess to resourCesArrays of information resources cluster near the circulation desk at the entry to the library. A

building directory, new book displays, standup reference stations, copy center, and the majority of

the public computer terminals are in close proximity to the staff at the circulation desk. Beneath

the “floating classroom”, the reference desk is on axis with the entry and readily apparent to

students entering the library for the first time. Making resources visible and avoiding the “where

is…” questions was a design priority.

iNforMatioN LiteraCyThe “floating classroom” above the Reference Desk and the library instruction classroom on the

main floor provide computerized and traditional classroom environments directly adjacent to the

main reading room. While the current generation of “digital natives” may have grown up with a

rapidly expanding array of information technology, they often do not posses the skills needed to

access and organize scholarly information sources. Media classrooms allow librarians to instruct

students in use of databases and other information technology. Instructors can also conduct

library-focused activities within the library without disturbing others.

ExploreInvestigate

ProcessCreate

Media Literacy

Numerical Literacy

Computer LiteracyTraditional

Literacy

Library Skills

MotiVatioNThere is a power in a large reading room where the activity of study and learning is apparent. The

image a great reading rooms such as that of the New York Public Library is iconic and inspirational.

Drawing on that emblematic imagery, the soaring reading room in the McCarthy Library with its

rows of study tables is a positive reinforcement of what a great library can be. Student remark that

the new library “makes me feel more studious”.

CoLLaboratiVe LearNiNgThe nine group study rooms in the McCarthy Library are in constant demand. With white boards

and technology facilitation these acoustically isolated rooms host active group learning, an activity

not often found in older libraries. Technology stations at long linear tables allow easy informal

gathering around computer stations. A sound masking system provides speech privacy and allows

students to work at library tables without disturbing others. The library reflects a generational

change in teaching and learning that increasingly emphasizes collaboration.

informal technology group study

Quiet studyEvery individual has a different distraction threshold and some tasks require a silent environment.

The Quiet Study meets this need, providing both table and casual seating. Solitary reflective

reading is an important part of the learning process. Comfortable furniture located throughout the

library supports sustained periods of reading.

oVerLookWindows along the two-hundred foot hallway on the second floor overlook the main reading

room, engaging the upper story with the activity of the library. In a similar fashion the floating

classroom looks down upon the library and shares the view to the Napa River Estuary to the West.

Clerestory windows frame the distant views.

dayLightAn even wash of daylight in the main reading room was a major design objective. Careful testing

with physical models helped adjust the size of window openings in the skylight and the clerestory

windows opening into the reading room. The play of light from the linear skylight gives an ever-

changing sculptural quality to the warm hues of the main wall.

furNiture & iNterior fiNishTimelessness: The interior design for this project emphasized careful use of cool and warm neutral

tones, rich textures and thoughtfully placed color accents. The striking volumes of space, natural

lighting and clear delineation of circulation paths are reinforced with simple furniture forms and a

quiet material palette.

Custom Furniture: The McCarthy Library design serves current and future needs by allowing for

flexibility and durability. Custom reading tables are clean and simple with solid bamboo tops,

hollow “plinth” bases and a technology infrastructure robust enough to support a variety of needs.

Durability of materials was addressed with sturdy, elegant details and quality hardware.

sustaiNabLe desigN featuresMatErIals & rEsourCEs

Building and finish materials used in the library were carefully considered in an effort to minimize environmental impacts. Recycled content, renewable resources, and air quality are all important aspects of material selection.

1–The Energy Star compliant “cool roof” reduces the heat island effect and reduces air conditioning load of the building by reflecting solar gain.

2-3 -Carpet and ceiling tiles contain from 48% to 77% recycled content and meet Green Label requirements for low emitting materials.

4–Interior finishes including paint, adhesives, bamboo flooring, furniture and non-vinyl wall coverings were selected for renewable resources content and indoor air quality properties.

HEatIng and CoolIng

5-A sophisticated heating and cooling system reduces the building’s energy consumption and provides maximum air quality and user comfort. The system uses an underfloor displacement ventilation system and direct / indirect evaporative cooling. Chilled water generated by a central campus ice bank system provides cooling capabilities. The mechanical system performs 22% below the strict state energy standard. A one-megawatt campus solar photovoltaic system supplies power to the library.

lIgHtIng and daylIgHtIng

6-Windows and skylights bring ample daylight into the interior of the building, reducing the need for electrical lighting during the day. Building systems dim lights when ample daylight is available and consequently reduce cooling loads generated by the lighting.

7-Louvered overhangs allow natural daylight and avoid direct solar gain, enhancing the day light available to the building.

projeCt statistiCsGross Area 62,500 square feet

Construction Cost $28,000,000

Volume Capacity 80,000

Library Student SeatsGroup Study- Media Viewing 57Computer Stations 80Media Viewing Computer Stations 18Casual Seating 60Study Table Seating 106Café Seating 33Library Instruction 50Reference 2Community Room 92 498

Other Functions in the McCarthy LibraryCollege Support & Teaching Distance Learning Classrooms (2) Teaching & Learning Center Diagnostic Learning Services Learning Skills & Testing Center Video Conferencing Classroom Media Services

desigN teaM

TLCD Architecture

Brelje & Race, Consulting Civil Engineers

Quadriga Landscape Architecture & Planning

Thornton Tomasetti, Consulting Structural Engineers

Costa Engineers, Consulting Mechanical Engineers

O’Mahony & Myer, Electrical Engineers and Lighting Design

Will Baty, Library Consulting Services

Sol*Data, Energy Compliance Consulting

Energy Studies in Building Laboratory, University of Oregon

Napa VaLLey CoLLege

Dan TerAvest, Director of Campus Planning & Construction

Bonnie Thoreen, Library Director Emeritus

Rebecca Scott, Library Director

Stephanie Grohs, Librarian

Christine Bettencourt, Learning Resources Assistant

Choolwe Kalulu, Media Services Technician

Jan Schardt, Learning Resources Assistant

Teresa Snowder, Media Services Technician

Founded in 1965, TLCD Architecture is an award winning regional practice located in Santa Rosa,

California. The firm provides expertise in planning, programming, architectural and interior design

and furniture selection. TLCD Architecture designs buildings that comprise the core infrastructure

of society; from cultural, civic, educational and medical centers, to hospitality, mixed-use, and

commercial projects.

TLCD Architecture believes that each client and every project is unique and should be considered

individually. Rather than a uniform design aesthetic, we focus on 3 key values that guide us to

highly individual and appropriate projects:

• The People that use the buiilding

• Response to the Place it inhabits

• The Craft of making beautiful and durable buildings

The alignment of our research-focused practice with academia is reflected in our work for our

higher education clients. Our 35 years of experience with community college and university

facilities encompasses the design of new college campuses, four recent academic libraries,

classrooms, master planning and wide variety of specialty facilities.

www.tlcd.com

about TLCD arChiteCture

TLCDarChiteCture

for further information please contact:

Alan Butler AIA, LEED AP / alan.butler@tlcd.com

Nate Bisbee AIA, LEED AP

TLCD Architecture

111 Santa Rosa Avenue. Suite 300

Santa Rosa, CA 95404

alan.butler@tlcd.com

nate.bisbee@tlcd.com

www. tlcd.com

this bookLet is aVaiLabLe for purChase froM bLurb.CoM search: McCarthy Library

© 2011 TLCDarChiteCture

TLCDarChiteCture