Stanford University - Auxiliary Library III
Special Books and Rare Collections Storage Facility
Livermore, California
Completion Date: 2005
This auxiliary library provides high-density archival storage for 2.88 million volumes in a low-temperature and low-humidity environment. Due to the extreme value of the collection, risk management informed almost every aspect of design including site layout, structural systems, envelope detailing and the development of state-of-the-art fire detection and suppression systems. Future phases will eventually quadruple the storage capacity of the facility.
A pleasant work environment was a critically important aspect of our design, given the building's highly technical elements, its relative isolation and industrial park site. Interior and outdoor gardens provide a landscaped buffer and bring a sense of intimacy to the facility. The reading room, staff lounge, offices and processing space are characterized by generous natural light and warm colors. Abundant views to the outside emphasize the distant hills and adjacent gardens.
The exterior palette of buff-colored, split-face concrete masonry and precast panels reflects the hues of the coastal hills and brings some of the character of the Palo Alto campus to this outpost.
