Chicago PL pushes boundary of "Library Commons".

Chicago Housing Authority & Chicago Public Library Partner Up, Bring Mixed-Income Housing and Libraries Together

The City of Chicago is "beginning of construction on three innovative co-located housing and library developments being built across the city. (Beginning with the) Taylor Street Apartments and Roosevelt Branch Library, with construction also getting underway at two co-located developments in the West Ridge and Irving Park communities. Mayor Emanuel announced that plans will continue for two additional CPL branches using creative interagency partnerships — one in the CHA’s Altgeld Gardens community and a new branch in the West Loop to serve its rapidly growing community.

“Libraries serve as community anchors, making knowledge and learning accessible for everyone,” said CPL Commissioner Brian Bannon. “The new co-located libraries will help to sustain strong neighborhoods, and provide a place for all community residents to gather, share and succeed.”

“This project bringing together housing with a neighborhood library will be paramount for our community,” said Alderman Jason Ervin, 28th Ward. “This investment shows our residents that no matter what your income is or what neighborhood you live in, if you call Chicago home you should have a range of housing options to choose from.”

"Over the past six years, Chicago Public Library has witnessed one of the largest capital investments in recent history. Through City investment and innovative partnerships, the Library has seen over $200 million of new capital projects and investments in the people and programs that activate our community anchors. By the end of 2018, we will have 11 new library buildings and 14 additional locations with major renovations and expansions. Embedded in these locations and other locations citywide is our innovative way to serve children and teens. CPL will have added new early learning play spaces at 28 locations and new teen spaces at 19 locations."

Source: Mayor Emanuel and City Officials Break Ground on Innovative Branch Library Projects

Ontario's government is trying something different. So should we.

Architects have always honored and celebrated those in their ranks who successfully land Big Splashy Projects bringing awards and lots of money into their firms. This is a necessary part of 'the business'; payrolls have to be met.

Dependence on these sexy, press-grabbing jobs cannot remain the only impetus we have to seek out projects and make a good living to support our employees and families.

Our knowledge and passions can focus on projects that lift up and sustain our society - our democracy. And our cities and towns must support our efforts to offer good, solid and beautiful designs to 'ordinary people'.

Libraries are only one of the cornerstones of this fragile, mutable social concept we call democracy. Affordable, well designed, truly livable housing is another. 

Here is Inhabitat's reporting on Ontario's proposal:

http://bit.ly/2g5fVv0

Architects and those who pay them play an essential role in developing beautiful, sustainable, mutable solutions to challenges that accompany Ontario's forward thinking plan.‎ 

Ontario Government's Discussion Paper brought forward by Hugo Segal, here:

http://bit.ly/2eYTh8L

Let us hope that in this newly minted world of protectionism, fear of 'the other' and blatant celebration of greed that kudos, recognition and good money can come to those architects who work for the pure pleasure of knowing they have pushed the boundaries of civil discourse through delightful, use able and thoughtful housing design. 

ScrnGrbCrd: Inhabititat.com‎

Zaha Hadid's death today caught me off guard and effected me at a level I wasn't expecting.

Hadid's Computer generated image for Stadium,2022 World Cup in Qatar. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

There she was, out there in the world building buildings that I had dreamed of making reality when I was in school. And here I am still, a mere mortal woman, only a year and some younger than she - no longer daring to dream my dreams.

I would have never met Ms. Hadid but if I had, I would have thanked her for showing me that buildings can be built in ways that I imagined years ago. And would have told her that she made me feel strong by being brave for dreamers like me who reveled in the sight of her buildings as they came into reality in my lifetime.

Thank you Zaha Hadid.

This little piece by Ruskin, that I think of as almost a prayer, hung as a plaque on my locker throughout architecture school. It's not in fashion and full of romantic idealism and not a little ego. I thought it could be true then then and I still do.

"When we build, let us think that we are building forever. 

Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for.

And let us think, as we lay stone upon stone,

that a time is to come when those stones will be sacred

because our hands have touched them."

Thought we couldn't improve on the brick.
Wrong.
This brick can, will, have a tremendous ‎impact on building technology, human comfort and energy savings.

http://www.archdaily.com/778158/in-detail-heat-dispersing-brick-developed-in-colombia

Illustrations : ArchDaily

This beautifully paced TedxMildeHigh 2013 presentation by Pam Sandlian, Rangeview Library District director and the recipient of the 2010 Colorado Librarian of the Year Award presented by the Colorado Association of Libraries, is popular on YouTube, and timeless.

I want to include it in our space for the record.   

screen shot: Ms Sandlian

London, England rebrands their libraries as "the Idea Stores"

She presents her story so simply and well. Her point is clear and easy to grasp... libraries are important now, they always will be, to everyone for his or her own reasons and for democracy to flourish.

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screen capture from designindaba.com

Check out this presentation at the AZA Architecture Conference in 2103 by Zimbabwean architect Mick Pearce.

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