HyperLocal

hyperlocal local

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PENDLETONvillage

REimagining the community-centric library in Pendleton, SC

Situated in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the historic village of Pendleton stands as testament to upstate South Carolina’s agrarian past; a town founded on the promise of opportunity, sustained by the cash crops of the 17th century, and largely bi-passed by the industry of the 1900’s. Once a thriving legislative and cultural hub, the town has seen little progress in nearly a century. Education and income demographics are offset largely due to proximity to Clemson University.

However, unemployment and illiteracy remain issues.

PENDLETON

PENDLETONvillage

In recent years, there was an initiative to build a Pendleton branch library, but the facility has fallen short of reaching her full potential. Hyperlocal, is therefore designed to respond to the needs of the town for a library AND community center. The term, Hyperlocal, is employed to describe the two-fold process by which the new Pendleton Public Library was designed; that the library respond physical to its surroundings, and that the program respond to the needs of the townspeople.

The existing facility is built at the edge of a forest next to the ruins of an antebellum home. It is designed as a neoclassical façade with an attached warehouse structure to house the library program. Though the building was intended to speak to its location by mimicking the style of the neighboring home, it lacks any connection with the site, therefore making it decidedly detached from the physical environment and in extension, Pendleton itself. The new facility would therefore capitalize on the natural assets of the site and respond to the physical conditions of Pendleton.

THERMALMASS

existing structure is uninviting and insensitive to its surroundings.

IMPOSINGTYPOLOGY

existing structure is not reflective of Pendleton, it has no sense of place.

pendleton public library

the building should be integrated in the landscape. tree wall; landscape as architecture.

new paths and promenadedes encourage interaction with and discovery of the site.

PICKENSVILLE

Pendleton

WASHINGTONdistrict

1 EXISTING library plan

children adults support community park

2 DIVIDE the program on site:

Park, Community area, Support, Children+Adult library.

8am - 7pm 8am - 11pm 24hr access

3 SEPARATE the children’s wing from 4 OPEN front and back of library the adult wing using the support zone to connect and service the two.

to invite patrons in and promote connctivity to the surrounding forest.

While the rear of the facility is equipped with all the necessary amenaties of a modern library, the building also provides the framework for variouscommunity events. Even after hours, with the library wings closed, the front of the building is intended to remain open providing a community lounge and café as well as a flexible hall. The hall uses operable walls to adapt to a number of configurations including: town hall meetings, art fairs, classrooms, or meeting space for small groups such as knitting, book clubs, and mother’s support groups.

Community Art Gallery 2 times per year

Town Hall Meeting 2 times per month

Craft Fair

4 times per year

Class/Seminar rooms 24/7

program

+ simple track system laid above the ceiling in a 12’x12’ grid.

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operable wall unit 4’x16’ with a double roller to easily move through corners.

panels meet with interlocking ends forming an acoustical barrier providing unique rooms within the hall.

STORMWATER is collected along the inclined roof. It is then conveyed to the series of bioremediation ponds which employ various plantlife to filter out contaminants. The water is then used either in the toilets or for irrigation.

AIRFLOW is facilitated in the building by using the support space in the center of the structure as a thermal chimney. As air warms throughout the space it rises into the tower and is vented through the clerestory ISOLOCK® windows.

SUNLIGHT is blocked by solid walls. Where there is glass, a network of louvers are used to protect the building from the heat gain caused by the low angle of the sun from East and West. The height of the support space allows for heating the upper volume of air and then venting it forcing convection.

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8225TL ISOLOCK® Window 1600 Wall System®1 :: extended mulion caps

Versoleil™ Single Blade :: hardware and square blade

Versoleil™ Single Blade :: hardware and wood louver

1600 Wall System®1 8225TL ISOLOCK® Window Versoleil™ Single Blade :: hardware+square blade In response to topography, the building is split into four platforms that are terraced into the hillside.

The facades are designed to be suited to the local climate. The East and West facades have been largely closed to the rising and setting sun. This is achieved by using Versoleil™ Single Blade mounting hardware to fix a series of both local wood as well as aluminum square blades (featured on different walls) to a1600 Wall System®1 curtain wall. The South façade is treated with extended

climate

mulion covers specifically sized for the project to maximize solar gain in the winter while blocking harsh summer rays. Keeping the wings of the building narrow allows for cross-breeze in the Spring and Fall. 8225TL ISOLOCK® Windows are used to punctuate the curtain walls and facilitate airflow.

3 4 1

2 The programmatic response is local in the way that it addresses the specific needs of the town. The facility is designed to provide amenities for patrons of all ages. The adult wing is equipped with resources to aid in attaining employment and education, including: books, computers, workstations, and study areas.

This is juxtaposed with a vibrant children’s wing which features traditional book stacks and computer stations but also a dedicated zone for read-alouds. This area would house a the program hosted by the library during which community volunteers would read to children fostering a love for reading at an early age, as well as promoting literacy.

This would be coupled with the lively community oriented zones in the front of the building. This zone, situated next to the new park that fronts the library, would house a cafe and community lounge. In addition, there would be the flexible hall (previously detailed) which could easily adapt to a number of programatic configurations, allowing the front portion of the library to function as an independent event center.

All this to be carried out to provide beneficial resources to the town through the library program itself, but also by establishing a forum to foster community interaction and cohesion.

1 cafe + Community lounge

community community

2 Bioswales

4 children’s read-aloud