The building is sited to mediate between the large-building campus entry edge and the pastoral scale of the new campus. The library stands firm as a recognizable beacon-with a prominent, hovering south-facing reading room-and primary image for the campus, while the art and architecture functions of the building scale downward and shift toward the newly defined campus lawn and a natural streamside.
The building is organized around a central space that encourages social interaction and both chance and planned meetings at all times of the day. During the daytime and in good weather, the outdoor courtyard serves many functions as a point of welcome, a dining area, an outdoor classroom or reception area, or an informal performance space. In cooler weather, the central lobby space at the heart of the building serves to connect the five levels of the building into a warm and lively space shared by the whole campus. Manipulating light by day and night from different parts of the building, as well as a well-placed coffee shop and exterior landscape spaces near the complex are other ways in which the design encourages connections between different parts of the complex and the rest of the school.
The building also serves as an educational tool itself, seeking to increase the awareness of the potential for buildings to contribute to environmental sustainability. Systems of environmental adaptation-particularly daylighting, solar control, and natural ventilation-are celebrated and articulated in the building design.
