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Seattle Public Library

  • February 16, 2011
  • ENVIROMEANT
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“We started by wondering: “What is the future of the library in the home of Microsoft?”

We knew we had to hit two moving targets: the explosion of media and information; and expanding civic roles for libraries. Our creative breakthrough came from something City Librarian Deborah Jacobs said about libraries: that they are not just depositories of books,
but cornerstones of democracy. True democracy – based upon the informed consent of the governed – cannot exist without full free and public access to knowledge.

Working with architect Rem Koolhaas and Seattle-based LMN Architects, we applied this principle to every aspect of the creation of this new public space – including the actual design process. All major decisions were conducted with total transparency, with open meetings and televised presentations where input was sought from the public.

Our design was integrated seamlessly into the architecture of the building, including playful supergraphics and title walls, a glass wall for the children’s area and a sandblasted wordmark overlooking the plaza outside. For the “Spiral” (Collections Area), made up of garage-like ramps, we devised flexible “stack mats” made from die-cut rubber that could be picked up and moved to accommodate expanding collections. Instead of increasing shelf space for reading, listening and viewing materials, we used digital storage technology to free up human space where visitors could interact with both cultural knowledge and each other.

When it opened for the public in 2004 New York Times critic Herbert Muschamp called the library the greatest new building he’d ever had the pleasure of reviewing.”

Text and photos copyright of Bruce Mau Design

Seattle Public Library. Designed by Bruce Mau Design. @enviromeant.com
Seattle Public Library. Designed by Bruce Mau Design. @enviromeant.com
Seattle Public Library. Designed by Bruce Mau Design. @enviromeant.com
Seattle Public Library. Designed by Bruce Mau Design. @enviromeant.com
Seattle Public Library. Designed by Bruce Mau Design. @enviromeant.com
Seattle Public Library. Designed by Bruce Mau Design. @enviromeant.com

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  • Bruce Mau Design
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  • seattle
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  • supergraphics
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ENVIROMEANT

Enviromeant is a blog about Environmental Graphic Design, Signage & Wayfinding Systems.

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Environmental Graphic Design is a multidisciplinary field that combines many design areas including architectural, interior, graphic, and industrial design. Together these disciplines enhance the user experience by representing visual concepts in the built environment. EGD can take the form of wayfinding and signage systems, installations, super graphics, and visualization of brand identity and communication on a physical space.

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At Enviromeant we are always looking for interesting projects that combine architecture, interior and graphic design. If you want your work to be featured, send us an mail to submit@enviromeant.com with the images (Minimum 2500px wide) and a description of your project. We’ll be happy to review it for submission.

Enviromeant
A blog about Environmental Graphic Design, Signage & Wayfinding Systems.

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