Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Carnegie Mellon University: Sorrell's Engineering & Science Library Renovation

  • 07/01/19
Carnegie Mellon University 

PHOTOS © ED MASSERY

A minimally disruptive renovation has transformed the Sorrell’s Engineering & Science Library at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh into a learning hub for 21stcentury students.

Three prefabricated bamboo elements are at the heart of this renovation. Designed by GBBN and fabricated locally by two Carnegie Mellon School of Architecture alums, these striking millwork pieces bring warmth to a concrete Brutalist building and help turn it into a place for active learning. Because the space now offers students a wide variety of ways to study and learn, they’re empowered to choose the zone that best suits their project needs and study style.

Near the entrance of the 16,000-square-foot space, “arbors” bring down the scale and provide collaborative zones that feel sheltered within an active, social area. A “portal” in the middle separates the active space near the entry and circulation desk from quiet and focused work zones toward the back. The portal also offers students a range of alternative seating on and around its platform. A multimedia collaborative “den” at the back of the library lets larger groups work without disrupting others.

Additionally, prefabricated glass and metal modular work rooms were added to the space. They keep students visually connected to the rest of the library but provide acoustic privacy for group projects.

All four elements were fabricated offsite and installed in just two weeks during a campus break. To accommodate these changes, a large number of little-used books were moved off-site while 12,000 of the most frequently requested titles remain.

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

Featured

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • Montclair State University Starts Construction on $120M STEM Building

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $120-million Interdisciplinary Science Building, according to university news. The university partnered with HoK Architects for the project’s design, and it’s scheduled to open in time for the 2028–29 academic year.

  • Classical building columns display digital data streams

    The Campus Nervous System: Why Facilities Risk Is Now a Leadership Issue in Higher Education

    Facility performance now intersects with safety, compliance, on-campus experience, institutional reputation, and financial resilience. That places it firmly on the leadership agenda.

  • GeoCam and UCLA: Modernizing Campus Accessibility Mapping

    In early 2025, UCLA partnered with GeoCam to capture and modernize its pedestrian infrastructure data. The goal was ambitious but clear: to produce a high-accuracy, imagery-backed digital map of every sidewalk, pathway, ramp, and ADA-related feature on UCLA’s 419-acre campus.