NCSU Libraries Focus Online

Volume 28 number 3 - Spring 2008

Hunt Library Planning in Full Swing

By Jeanne Hammer, Capital Management and External Relations

With the selection of the lead design firm of Snøhetta, planning for the James B. Hunt Jr. Library on Centennial Campus has progressed to the programming and predesign phase. This phase is focused on understanding the needs and aspirations for the Hunt Library and will be completed in May 2008. The process is organized around seven two- to three-day interactive workshops with the building committee, user groups, and other members of the campus community. The workshops are being conducted by DEGW, a strategic-design consulting firm that specializes in collaborative work and learning spaces.

In the workshops DEGW engages participants in analytical or vision development activities that allow participants to communicate ideas, share perspectives, and identify commons needs. During this process, focus groups explore topics specific to a user group (e.g., graduate students) or topics that cut across groups, such as information technology. Concurrently, the building committee develops the key project goals, needs, and concepts that align the Hunt Library planning with NC State's institutional strategic goals and incorporate the needs and aspirations of the library's user groups.

In addition, during this four-month predesign phase, participants from the Office of the University Architect are collaborating with Snøhetta and other stakeholders in determining the best site for the Hunt Library on the academic oval. Factors such as the scale of the Hunt building, physical properties of the site, and relationship to other buildings are considered. North Carolina State University will also complete the design team with the selection of a local architect and engineers for the structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design elements.

With the vision and program shaped, site selected, and design team in place, the Hunt Library project will move into the first stage of design this summer. To follow the Hunt Library progress, go to the Web at http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/huntlibrary/.