MIES MEMORIAL LIBRARY #22543
The plot chosen is the second one, as it already was part of the original Master Plan designed by Mies Van Der Rohe. Similarly, the design adopts the same grid used by him.
The terrain contains many trees, it was decided to leave unbuilt green spaces near the proposed building in order to preserve them.
The library has two entrances on the Ground Floor, one facing the Crown Hall, the other Paul V Galvin Library, as it is meant to be an extension of both.
The design is meant to host Mies’s Collections, so the architecture has to be a reflection of what it contains, for that reason many of his concepts were used to achieve the final result.
The Ground Floor doesn’t include partition walls, everything can be dismantled and moved. All spaces requiring walls are placed in the Basement.
All the exterior walls are made by floor to ceiling windows, providing a sufficient amount of light for those reading or studying in the library.
Exterior steel façade elements are added to keep parts of the building, mainly the patio hidden, for it to be discovered while visiting the library. They are colored brick red as a reference to the IIT main building.
A variety of seating solutions are offered with the individual study pods, the table for two included in some bookshelves and the group tables. The chairs used are the ones designed by Mies Van Der Rohe himself.
Interior marble walls allow the user to discover two different views of the patio depending on the side they are looking from.
The Basement is accessible via interior stairs and an exterior ramp.
