Add as a preferred source on Google

Boston University School of Medicine: Alumni Medical Library

  • 07/01/19
Boston Univeristy School of Medicine 

PHOTOS © JANE MESSINGER

The Boston University (BU) School of Medicine’s Alumni Medical Library serves the university’s Schools of Medicine, Public Health, and the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine and is located on floors 11-13 of the School of Medicine’s “L” instructional building. Finegold Alexander Architects reimagined the 13th floor—largely a stack level—as the new Learning Resource Center. The $3.5 million, fast-tracked project was completed while the building was occupied.

The existing spaces had not been substantially renovated since their late-1960s construction. Harsh fluorescent lighting, insufficient utilitarian study tables and carrels, and vast areas of book stacks occupied the 13,000-square-foot floor plate. The library’s users range from first-year medical students and Ph.D. students to residents and researchers, dentists, and oral surgeons. This diverse body reflects a variety of learning styles and curricula. Typically, students spend long stretches of time with dense material—this is focused, heads-down study. Working with the Dean’s Council, a quiet study floor with varied options was created.

The design for the 13th floor called for a complete gut/renovation to address a diverse set of needs while also opening the floor plan and improving circulation throughout the library. The program offers a variety of space types including acoustically isolated group study rooms, large carrels, sound-isolated booths, and comfortable pods and banquettes for lengthy study or naps. All the spaces are well integrated with technology, lighting, and comfortable furniture.

Display space for medical artifacts and rare books allows BU to showcase their history. The concrete walls surrounding the stair linking the main library floors were demolished and replaced with laminated glazing to enable the penetration of light through the space while providing acoustic isolation and visibility across the floor. Natural wood, soft flooring, abundant natural light, and touches of BU red create a calming yet vibrant space.

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management July/August 2019 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Recent University of Pennsylvania Projects Receive LEED Certifications

    The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Penn., recently announced that three of its recent construction projects have earned LEED certifications, according to university news. The Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology (VLEST) received a LEED Platinum certification, Amy Gutmann Hall a LEED Gold, and the OTT Center for Track and Field a LEED silver.

  • DLR Group Appoints New K–12 Education Practice Leader

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it has named its new global K–12 Education leader, Senior Principal Carmen Wyckoff, AIA, LEED AP, according to a news release. Her teams have members in all 36 of the firm’s offices in the U.S., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Europe, and Asia.

  • Texas State University Completes Stadium Renovations

    Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, recently announced that it has completed a series of additions and renovations to its football stadium, according to a news release. Formerly known as the Bobcat Stadium End Zone Complex, the Johnny and Nathali Weisman Football Performance Center is an 85,000-square-foot expansion featuring hospitality spaces, banquet spaces, exterior concourses, and upgrades to the field house.

  • Construction Begins on East Austin CTE-Focused High School

    The Del Valle Independent School District recently announced that construction has begun on a new CTE-focused high school in Austin, Texas, according to a news release. Del Valle High School will measure in at 473,338 square feet and have the capacity for 2,400 students.

Digital Edition