Homecoming has always been a time of celebration at ECFS, 但是今年, there’s an extra reason for good cheer: the grand reopening of the Tate Library. Fifty years after first breaking ground, the Tate has received its first major facelift. Architecture Research Office (ARO) is the architect of record.
The dark wood that once dominated the Tate’s ceiling, 桌子, and shelves has been replaced with lighter-colored materials and plenty of overhead lighting so that the building feels more expansive, 即使它们占用了相同的空间. New floor-to-ceiling windows were installed to provide unimpeded views of the quad below, while low shelving units yield better sight lines from all corners of the library.
“它看起来很干净, 但还是很像图书馆,“Nelie”Cornelia Locher说, 图书馆系主任, 谁在ECFS工作了25年.
感觉还是像泰特美术馆. “It’s very much walking into a space that feels familiar,1990年的Margaret Munzer Loeb说, trustee and chair of the buildings and grounds committee. “We’ve been trying to honor the spaces we have and move them into the 21st century.”
据Nelie说, 泰特美术馆一直是学习的中心, 而新建筑则更加突出了这一点. Faculty will integrate library visits into their class schedules; some classes will now take place in bright and open new classrooms; and even outside class time, students will — as they have for decades — make the Tate their home base. “There are free periods when we can have 110 to 120 students working or relaxing,” says Nelie. 正如学校校长杰西卡·L. Bagby, “We really envision this as a center of campus life.”
The renovation was always intended to serve as more than just an aesthetic improvement. The new Tate makes a beloved part of the campus even more amenable to use. Visitors will notice that the circulation desk has been moved back to allow better flow on the lower level, and a new second circulation desk upstairs offers more student support. 上层, 哪个曾经受到来自下面的噪音的影响, has been outfitted with sound-absorbing surfaces that keep things as quiet as possible; according to Kim Yao, ARO主要, transforming the acoustics of the space was a key priority in modernizing the library. A new air conditioning system provides much-needed relief so that students can read and study comfortably in the warmer months.
I feel proud that we as a community are delivering this space for the next 50 years.
卡琳·塞德曼·贝克尔，受托人
The new Tate’s biggest asset, however, might be its flexibility. “‘Flexibility’ is a big term of art in libraries,” says Nelie. “We have more places you can plug your gadgets in. 云顶集团可以把较矮的书柜推走. We have more rooms with screens in them that people can use. We have also made an intentional decision to have some study rooms device-free.”
The Tate officially reopened this Saturday, October 20. 在庆祝招待会上, several trustees thanked the members of our community who have been vital in seeing the renovation through to fruition. “I think this building speaks to the passion and the commitment that people have,卡琳·塞德曼·贝克尔说. “I feel proud that we as a community are delivering this space for the next 50 years.”
A key tenet of progressive education at ECFS is to promote an environment that adapts to students’ different learning styles. 泰特美术馆的新空间正是如此. Glassed-in study rooms of various sizes allow groups both big and small to work together without affecting other patrons. The updated carrels on the upper level look out over the lower level windows and the quad beyond, offering relative privacy without feeling claustrophobic. 如果有什么区别的话, the librarians expect more students to come to the library when they’re seeking a quiet place to work, 泰特美术馆也很乐意提供住宿.
There’s never been a better time to hit the books.
