Design Workshop Generates Excitement and Enthusiasm

Published: 5/14/2003

On Saturday, April 26th, the Library Trustees sponsored a library Design Workshop to obtain public input on some important design questions that will help shape the look of the proposed new building. Currently we have developed conceptual designs. The information obtained from the workshop will assist the project developers in designing the building itself and the site amenities that will help the new library fit into the fabric of the village.

Over seventy-two (72) people participated in the workshop. This included representatives from the Town Board, Village Board and School Board. Additionally, there were a number of stakeholders including active library users, members of The Library Foundation, The Library Board of Trustees, and Friends of the Library, Library staff, State Street business owners, officials from the Village Preservation Board and Planning Board, Historic Pittsford and residents with general interest in the project.

The Design Workshop concentrated on two specific questions. The first question addressed what the new building would look like in terms of shape and style. This is important since the proposed building would be a 30,000 square feet, two-story structure with a footprint of approximately 15,000 square feet. The Village Comprehensive plan calls for this building to be placed closer to State Street than the current building to create a more uniform street line of buildings.

The second question that participants were asked to give input on is how the new library would fit into the State Street setting. Issues discussed included traffic flow on State Street, points of ingress and egress to the Library, buffering and screening of parking areas, landscaping amenities, as well as consideration of views from the Erie Canal.

The first hour of the workshop was spent reviewing some of the design issues and constraints involved in the project. Mayor Bob Corby presented guiding principles for Village architecture that looked at the form, mass and orientation of structures in the village setting.

Steve Ferranti, traffic engineer from SRF & Associates, presented an overview of the issues related to traffic flow and management that are critical to this project. This was best demonstrated by the computer-generated models that showed actual traffic patterns in the area of this project that led to the selection of the current design for ingress and egress.

Rick Perry, architect from DeWolff Partnership Architects LLP, and Aaron Cohen, a Library Planning Consultant reviewed information on the program elements proposed for the new library as well as conceptual floor plans and site plans.

Participants then broke off in to ten discussion groups and began their work to come up with design concepts to help answer the questions relative to the design of the building and context of the site. At the end of the day, each of the groups presented their ideas. Here are some of the recurrent themes that were presented:

1. Design of the Building
* The library facade should be modeled after the red brick Phoenix Hotel
* The mass of the building should be broken up with the use of different materials, textures and windows
* Natural indoor lighting should be promoted through the use of lots of windows, skylights and an interior atrium
* A partial basement should be considered to allow for future storage and expansion
* A second story veranda or balcony should be built to promote outdoor reading/seating taking advantage of the view over the Erie Canal
* Need adequate space for the Friends of the Library storage and book sale
* Building should allow for compatible commercial use such as café, coffee shop, snack bar, gallery or a bookstore
2. Context of the site
* Maximize the canal view through the use of seating areas oriented to the canal
* Cantilever the second floor to obtain maximum canal exposure
* Provide lots of windows along the canal side
* A drive-up book drop is essential to the project
* Multiple entrances need to be considered
* Adequate landscaping of building and parking area should be provided along State Street as well as from the Erie Canal
* A pedestrian bridge should be built to connect to Schoen Place

We were impressed with the commitment that the design workshop participants demonstrated. They dedicated four hours on a beautiful Saturday and took their task seriously. We were also impressed with the level of detail that participants absorbed from our opening presentations. Their understanding of the architectural, traffic and site issues was evident in listening to their individual group discussions as well as in their presentations.

If you would like to find out more about the Design Workshop, you can see a video of the day's activities airing for the next several weeks on Cable Channel 12, Sunday through Wednesday at 10:10 am, 7:10 pm and 9:10 pm. Beginning mid-month, we will also have information on the Town Web site that you can access at www.townofpittsford.org

The input we received will be helpful as we begin to develop plans for the building. The design team will now go to work and will have schematic drawings prepared by the end of June. At that time we will hold further community forums to get your input. In the meantime, if there are any comments about the library facility project that you would like to offer please submit them at library@townofpittsford.org

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