11
What did the project teach you?
We've designed a lot of libraries so it's an evolving process.
You learn from one project and you learn in many subtle
ways. Here it's the subtleties of the design that are important.
I think in this case it's probably the most vertical library we've
done. There are lots of things about how we connected
spaces, how we connected to the surrounds, how people
move through and about this library that we'll take and use
in future designs. Really, the important part of architecture
is understanding those subtleties; understanding how
people react and move through that type of building,
is fundamental to its success.
It's a library with quite a complex design history.
We were engaged by the builder on a design development
and construct contract. This meant we were engaged by
the builder to follow on from the early phase of the design much of which had been completed. We needed to finesse
that. We also had to work with an interior designer to pull
together all the interiors, to get the result you see here today.
“Rather than a shy stance, Rockdale exhibits
a free-form, athletic flow right across its three
levels. Tall voids, study options, assorted
meeting places and specialist nodes are all
catered for in a library of complex pedigree”
PETER HYATT, VISION