CPL

The newly renovated and expanded Whitney M. Young, Jr. Branch Library is a true community anchor: a neighborhood gathering space, a classroom, a job training center, a museum, and—with the installation of an Early Learning play space and an Experience Lab—a creative space for Chicagoans of all ages. A $12M investment into the Chatham community has yielded a modern, light-filled building that incorporates the exterior brick wall of the midcentury facility into the glass envelope of the new building, expanding the library’s overall footprint by 2,800 square feet. The building was designed by bKL Architecture, with Danielle Tillman, a South Side native, acting as as lead project architect.

“Whitney Young Branch has long provided countless contributions to our residents, our neighborhoods and our shared civic life. With the expansion and renovations complete, this branch will now be a Chatham anchor for families to gather, students to get help with homework and job-seekers to connect with life-changing opportunities.”

– 6th Ward Alderman Roderick Sawyer

The focal point of the original building was an underutilized exterior courtyard; bKL’s new design revives this central outdoor area, and the transparent building envelope encourages natural light to fill the interior’s open floorplan. Inside, the renovated facility houses a new multipurpose room, an early learning center, state-of-the-art equipment, expanded study spaces, refreshed collections, and increased computer capacity. The legacy building has been retrofit for ADA accessibility, energy-efficient mechanical systems and improved lighting. The branch is home to one of three “Experience Labs,” announced with Comcast in October 2017, which brings together three CPL programs: YOUmedia digital labs for teens, CyberNavigator digital skills tutoring for adults, and Maker Lab programming. Whitney Young is the first branch library to feature a dedicated Maker Lab. The CyberNavigator program offers digital skills training available to patrons of any age and was recently expanded to every neighborhood in the city through the Connect Chicago initiative.

Beyond the positive community impact of a new branch library, Chatham is also reaping the benefits of a more environmentally-friendly neighborhood. The library’s expansion sits on a former Brownfield site; in 2011, grants from the EPA provided the means for the PBC to remediate the soil and groundwater contamination left behind by the site’s previous occupants. The funding stipulated that the PBC utilize in-situ remediation, a process that renders chemicals inert on-site. Implementation of this strategy, which merited an Environmental Stewardship Award from the National Association of Environmental Professionals and an Illinois Governor’s Sustainability Award, reduced the projected cleanup cost in half and diverted 22,000 cubic yards of hazardous waste from a Subtitle D Landfill. Furthermore, the PBC’s work at the Whitney Young site is now used by the EPA as a case study for other municipalities, proving that fiscally-responsible green remediation is possible.

“Whitney Young library branch is now a place where Chatham residents of all ages can expand their imaginations and broaden their intellectual horizons and bridge generational and cultural divides in a shared spirit of civic unity. The Whitney Young Branch is now fit to serve the Chatham community, and will support its residents with the 21st century services needed to succeed for generations to come.”

– Mayor Rahm Emanuel

Whitney M. Young, Jr. Branch Library is LEED Gold Certified.

Follow this project on Twitter @PBCChi #WhitneyYoungLib

This project was included in the PBC’s 2018 Year in Review. Click here to view all the projects completed in 2018.

https://www.architectmagazine.com/project-gallery/whitney-m-young-jr-branch-library_2_o

Renovations Give New Life to Harold Washington Children’s Library

The redesigned Thomas Hughes Children’s library at Harold Washington Library Center is no longer the traditional stuffy, quiet space equipped only with books, desktop computers, wooden chairs and tables. The newly redesigned, 24,000-square-foot Thomas Hughes Children’s Library now boasts bright, welcoming colors, seating nooks built into bookshelves, plush lounge seating blocks, and active play areas with 3-D printers, green screen, exhibit areas, puppet shows and singalongs. The entrance was moved closer to the elevator, making it easily accessible for parents and caretakers to get to the second floor with strollers, and the redesign includes a private nursing suite as well as a family restroom with adult and child-sized toilets.

“The renovations were intended to offer interactive activities that would support early childhood development, engage families and foster creativity – as well as a meeting space for parents”

– Brian Bannon, Chicago Public Library Commissioner

Upon entrance, children are greeted with artwork created at neighborhood branches before walking into the maker space where the 3-D printer, laser cutter and sticker makers are stationed to encourage kids to create things–like a sundial– and to learn, for example, about solar eclipses. There’s a new studio for such activities as story hour, special visits from reptiles and messy art crafts. At the center of the library is a plaza, a venue for singalongs and puppet shows.

The rest of the room is divided into three “neighborhood” sections for various age groups: the “early learner neighborhood,” aimed at children under 5, features a section for story time, a sensory bin filled with crumbled paper and fuzzy pompom balls and a comfortable seating area. The bookshelves are much lower than the ceiling-high ones to allow kids to explore and select picture books. The “elementary learner neighborhood” was designed for children ages 6 to 10 and includes a woodblock and Lego brick building area near where kids can make paper fortresses. The “tween neighborhood” includes a digital media space with cameras and a green screen to superimpose backgrounds, among other tech tools geared towards kids ages 10 to 13.

Follow this project on Twitter @PBCChi  #THCLRenovation

View the contract details for this project here.

The Early Learning Educational Investments project is comprised of interior renovations to children’s library area. The renovations will incorporate science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) with the five practices of early learning — Talk, Sing, Read, Write and Play.

The Early Learning Educational Investments project comprises of interior renovations to children’s library areas. The renovations will incorporate science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) with the five practices of early learning — Talk, Sing, Read, Write and Play.

A New Nexus for a Thriving Community

The 16,000-square-foot Chinatown Branch Library serves as a new civic, educational, and social hub for Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood, providing a much-needed public gathering place geared toward inclusive community activities and technology-based learning.

The building sits at the nexus of Chicago’s historic southern and emerging northern Chinatown neighborhoods and is adjacent to the Cermak- Chinatown CTA Red Line train stop. The library’s pebble shaped, three-sided structure responds to ancient Feng Shui principles by matching the avenues’ alignment without creating aggressive corners.

Inside, the two-story design is based on a traditional Chinese courtyard plan. All spaces connect to a central atrium, and a minimal number of enclosed spaces ensures maximum flexibility. The community meeting area and children’s zone occupy the ground level, while teen and adult zones are on the second level.

As part of the City of Chicago’s Percent for Art Program, Chicago-area artist CJ Hungerman was commissioned to capture Chinatown’s personality in a mural on the second floor. The piece, titled Universal Transverse Immigration Proclamation, abstractly depicts the stories of immigrants’ journeys to Chicago and their visions for the future.

Social Media

• Follow this project on Twitter @PBCChi #Chinatown
• More Pictures on Flickr

Awards:

• Architects Newspaper Best of 2015 Building of the Year-Midwest
• 2015 ASHRAE-IL Excellence in Engineering Award

• Conversion of existing space into YOUmedia digital learning lab
• High-tech area geared toward teen population
• Designated space and equipment for video editing, photography, 2D and 3D design, music production, game design and much more
• Home to an extensive young adult book collection
• Three tenets of the YOUmedia program:
  • Hang out with friends
  • Mess around with digital media in new ways
  • Geek out in workshops that facilitate exploration of core interests
• Open to all high school-age Chicago teens with a valid library card

• Conversion of existing space into YOUmedia digital learning lab
• High-tech area geared toward teen population
• Designated space and equipment for video editing, photography, 2D and 3D design, music production, game design and much more
• Home to an extensive young adult book collection
• Three tenets of the YOUmedia program:
  • Hang out with friends
  • Mess around with digital media in new ways
  • Geek out in workshops that facilitate exploration of core interests
• Open to all high school-age Chicago teens with a valid library card