Emmaus Main Street Library

Due to the unique nature of the school where facilities have been separated by public infrastructure a two campus setup developed & grew over the years. It was envisaged that Year 10 to 12 would be on the Main street Campus while the Year 7 to 9 would be part of the Yaamba Road Campus.

The Existing Library on the Main street campus site did not meet the current needs of the school and the feasibility study of extensions and additions did not resolve many of the issues raised. Therefore a new building was proposed. The need for quiet spaces and study rooms was identified during the consultation process as well as a “noisy ” and more informal learning space that linked to a new student hub was envisioned. A clearly defined entry from the street that will form part of a future concourse/student hub linking the other campus formed part of the brief. Providing adequate natural lighting and use of double volume spaces would define the character of the building and create a visible landmark from the school entry.

The Planning of the building was defined by the constraints of the surrounding existing buildings. The informal lounge space has been separated from the future student hub by a covered concourse. This allowed for screening of the large curtain walls on the north westerly orientation with polycarbonate screens which still allowed for diffused light into the spaces.

An outcome of the project was to also provide a recreational gathering space during school break times. Lounges, coffee machine and extensive glazing to allow the seeing and be seen characteristics, the nature of this senior campus Library facility.