NAMPA —
Nampa’s massive new library will provide a centerpiece to the city’s historic
downtown, acting as a community gathering place as well as fulfilling
traditional functions associated with a library, Nampa Public Library spokesman
Dan Black said Tuesday.
Lots of natural light, a quiet reading area with
a fireplace, some kind of water feature and a building that makes a statement
were among the details for the new building unveiled at Tuesday’s special
meeting.
The library “plan” — which is more a conceptual narrative than
an actual blueprint — were developed by Seattle-based Cardwell Architects after
extensive community input and a day-long public workshop this spring.
“People had a strong desire to create a unique
and distinctive public library experience rich with detail,” Black
said.
Some of the other most-requested elements that made their way into
the preliminary plan are multifunction meeting rooms, specific areas for
children and teens, noisy activity areas as well as quiet reading areas, and
indoor-outdoor fusion elements such as terraces and a rooftop garden.
Contributing to the indoor-outdoor theme, a 90,000-square-foot urban park will
be created adjacent to the library.
Black said it was clear from
community response that any retail element should be limited and should
contribute to the library experience, not distract from it.
“They want a library, not a shopping mall,” he
said.
A coffee shop and a small book store were suggested as
possibilities.
Black estimated the total cost of the project would be
$36.6 million.
Architect Richard Cardwell said his company specializes in
this type of project, having designed 27 public and two large university
libraries.
“What we’d really like to design is a series of memorable
spaces,” he said.
The ideal entrance to a building is a sort of natural
transition between the outside and inside worlds, Cardwell said.
The proposed library atrium, with natural light
flowing down through skylights, would be just that, he said. The street-like,
open area would connect any retail space with small “immediate access”
collections of books and the children’s area.
Architect James Cary said
more complete collections would be found on the second floor. Also upstairs
would be a quiet reading area with a fireplace.
The third floor would
have office space for staff and administration and a rooftop garden, which Cary
said fit perfectly with the “green” design principles.
“Planted areas would reduce heat gain, as well as
providing public reading areas,” he said.
The building should also
include a teen area with audio-visual materials where kids can “turn up the
volume,” and a computer room — situated in such a way that there is “progression
from noise and activity on the ground floor at the library entrance, to quiet
and calm as far as you go up and away from the entrance,” according to the
report on the spring public workshop.
Cary said another important design
element will be technological flexibility, which requires easily accessible
space under floors for wiring and equipment.
Black stressed that the plan
is a preliminary schematic, and while many aspects of it are probably solid, the
exact design and floor plan won’t be finalized until the city selects a team to
officially handle the project, hopefully in August.
About 1,000 people
visit the Nampa library daily to browse its extensive selection of CDs, movies,
magazines and books, he said, and he expects that figure to double when the new
facility is completed.
“Once this library is built, it’s going to be a
vibrant cultural hub where people can experience the greater world and also
connect with people in knowledge,” he said. “It’s really a gateway to
information.”
