Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

North Carolina State University: James B. Hunt Jr. Library

  • 06/01/14
North Carolina State University Library 

PHOTOS © JEFF GOLDBERG/ESTO

The James B. Hunt Jr. Library at North Carolina State University opened in January 2013 on the rapidly growing Centennial Campus in Raleigh. With an iconic modern exterior and an interior filled with cutting-edge technological integration, the facility has been touted as “the library of the future.”

The design shifts the concept of a library beyond stacks and catalogs to a dynamic place for collaboration, research and experimentation with technology. A bookBot automated book delivery system reduces the space needed for stacks and accommodates a 2,000,000-volume collection. A virtual browse system allows users to see a virtual bookshelf with items related in subject, and books can be checked out and retrieved by the bookBot and are available for pickup within minutes.

Generous open spaces and monumental stairs connect all floors of the library, while the learning commons contain both open spaces with colorful furniture and more traditional, quiet study areas. Hunt Library provides 100 group study rooms, including technology labs, gaming labs, media production rooms and creativity studios. A glass-walled technology showcase on the entry level offers the latest devices and technologies available for loan to students. The library also houses a political think tank led by former North Carolina Governor James Hunt, academic offices and an auditorium.

The 230,000-square-foot facility is certified LEED Silver, with an abundance of natural lighting, solar fins, rooftop solar panels, innovative chilled beam and radiant panel systems, green roofs and a rainwater collection system.

Clark Nexsen served as executive architect, collaborating fully on the project design and construction with the New York office of Snøhetta serving as lead designer. Hunt Library has been honored with more than 20 awards, including the international Stanford Prize for Innovation in Research Libraries (SPIRL) and three national awards for library architectural design and planning, library interiors and education facility design.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • 144-Year-Old High-School Campus Debuts New Academic Facility

    San Diego High School (SDHS) in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new student services and classroom building; the project is part of a larger SDHS Whole Site Modernization project that began in 2022.

  • Tennessee Middle School Completes Health, Life Safety Renovations

    The Giles County Board of Education in Pulaski, Tenn., recently announced that a series of renovation projects has been completed at Bridgeforth Middle School, according to a news release. The district partnered with Wold Architects & Engineers and Brindley Construction to modernize building systems at one of the district’s oldest schools.

  • College of the Desert Hits Construction Milestone on New Campus

    College of the Desert recently announced that the construction of its new Palm Springs Campus in Palm Springs, Calif., recently reached a major construction milestone, according to a news release. The college is partnering with general contractor C.W. Driver Companies, which recently “topped out” the facility by placing the final beam in its structure.

  • USC Launches Major AI Initiative After $200M Gift

    The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif., recently announced that it has launched a “transformational” new AI initiative thanks to a $200M gift, according to a news release. The project will leverage AI toward breakthroughs and innovations in subjects like the health sciences, business, security, and the arts.