Although the Beneficial-Hodson Library was only thirty years old, its design was based on the outdated notion of libraries as book storage facilities, rather than places for students to actively engage with information through multiple tools and formats. Collections took up the majority of the building’s footprint, and spaces for collaboration and technology were practically nonexistent. Staff service locations were static, bulky, and did not support the library’s evolving needs.

The renovation transformed the library into a Learning Commons model, creating engaging environments for collaboration, evolving technology, instruction, and academic support. It moved the College’s centralized data center from prime real estate on the first floor to a smaller and less visible location, opening up space for a new café and casual study area. The project also relocated and centralized Hood’s special collections and archives, as well as reconfigured the arrangement of staff work spaces to support deeper engagement with faculty and students. Small, punched windows were replaced with expanses of curtainwall glass to maximize views, rebranding the Neo-Georgian library as a new, welcoming hub for the campus community.

Collaborators

Structural Engineer: Silman Structural Engineers
Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Engineer: Leach Wallace Associates
Civil Engineer: Kimley-Horn Engineers
Code: Jensen Hughes
Door Hardware: Stoessel, Sedgwick, & O’Connor
General Contractor: Gilbane Building Company
Animation: In Design Studio