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Ballard Library

photo by Seattle Public Library


Facts

  • Project Name: Ballard Library
  • Purpose: to replace an existing library with a larger one that will also include a neighborhood service center
  • Year Built: 2005
  • Address: 5614 22nd Ave. N.W.
  • Client: Seattle Public Library
  • Designer: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
  • Cost: $10,963,258
  • Award: 2005 Civic Design Award by the Washington Council of the American Institute of Architects
  • Design Commission Reviews:
    • site scoping (October 7, 1999)
    • master plan briefing (June 20, 2000)
    • pre-design (November 2, 2000)
    • concept design (December 20, 2001 and May 2, 2002)
    • schematic design (October 3, 2002)
    • design development (April 3, 2003)

Design Commission's Influence
The Design Commission believed the development of the Ballard Library provided the City an opportunity to develop a building that would define Ballard's redeveloping civic core.

The Design Commission made several recommendations to the Seattle Public Library and its design team:

 


Pedestrian access and urban streetscape.

image by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

Overall Concept and Direction

  • develop guiding design principles to steer the project throughout the design process
  • develop the streetscape and civic character of the design from the pedestrian's point of view
  • promote a more urban approach to the project's design
  • use the comprehensive Art Plan developed for the nearby Ballard Civic Center to identify common opportunities and themes
  • develop the project so it appears as a civic place, and the combination of civic and commercial uses should not detract from that appearance
  • make the hierarchy of the three uses -- library, neighbrohood service center, and bank -- clear in the building design




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image by xxxxx



Urban Design and Neighborhood Fit

  • explore the library's relationship with the proposed park that will be located diagonally across the intersection of 57th Ave NW and 22nd Ave NW
  • select the US Bank site




Streetscape seating.

photo by Seattle Public Library



Site Planning

  • further develop the design of the social spaces on 22nd Ave.
  • improve the connections between the streetscape and the building's interior
  • reduce the number of parking spaces, since it is in excess of what is required
  • present creative alternatives for the bank's drive-through
  • articulate the hierarchy and use a variety of street trees




Green roof observation deck.
photo by Seattle Public Library.



Design Refinements

  • ensure the nautical expression in the design parti is represented in the materials and design details
  • explore a differentiated approach in the building's massing and its relationship to the curved wall so it better expresses the different uses and tenants
  • clarify the relationship between the library and neighborhood service center
  • provide a shared entrance for the project's civic components
  • judiciously use skylights to maximize the impact of natural light
  • study the technical challenges and maintenance requirements of a green roof
  • keep the glazing as clear as possible
  • make the roof visible and accessible for educational purposes
  • keep the vertical light shafts and sloping roof
  • keep the environmentally responsive art and features of the building design
  • recapture the sense of flight that has been somewhat lost in the redesign of the roof

See other projects in the Visual Resume.