New Madden Library design will be a landmark at Fresno State

By MICHAEL CULVER

Fresno State is soon to have a new crown jewel to mark the center of campus.

The conceptual design of the new Henry Madden Library was approved March 16 by trustees of the California State University system.

Two separate architectural firms submitted designs for the library. Hillier Architecture’s primary responsibility was to ensure the interior met certain requirements such as book capacity, seating and number of study areas. A.C. Martin Partners, Inc. was responsible for the exterior.

Working together on the 315,000-square-foot project, they said to the university they will, “seek to create an environment that is timeless. Its aesthetic should therefore reflect the rich culture of the campus, city and region as a whole.”

The new library will incorporate several concepts to achieve a common goal of functionality and aesthetic beauty.

Using glass, the firms created an environment that is open. The Peace Garden is the central focus the architects used to create a “center of learning for both the university and the community,” said Chris King, a senior designer and associate of A.C. Martin.

Architect David C. Martin led the team from A.C. Martin. Martin’s design combines part of the existing structure with a more contemporary façade by picking up on the colors and materials of the existing library, King said.

Another challenge facing the architectural firms was how to incorporate the 900,000 periodicals and books while allowing room for an estimated growth of 20,000 books a year.

Hillier Architecture’s design uses movable aisle compact shelving. The shelving will unfold with the push of a button, creating aisles for book retrieval.

You give up the inconvenience of moving the shelves, but you gain collection space in its place, said Joseph Rizzo, the lead architect for Hillier.

The glass oval entrance will serve as a beacon for the entire campus. King said it will “mark the center of campus not just for knowledge and learning, but also as a way to bring the students and community together. The surface of the elliptical beacon is inspired by historic Central Valley basket weaving.”

Inside the entrance, the lobby will be open and inviting, letting natural light fill the rooms. A staircase inside will provide an almost panoramic view of the inside as well as the outside.

Nature and community were the central themes of the design. Rizzo said, they linked inside and outside to create a busy but tranquil environment.

The new library is designed to serve 25,000 full time equivalent students, an increase of 7,000 over the current design. It is also designed to hold 1.8 million books, double what the library currently holds. The project will cost $9 million dollars and is scheduled to be completed in 2008.