Robert L. Bogomolny Library at the University of Baltimore
University of Baltimore
Baltimore, Maryland
The transformation of the RLB library is a project that respects the original design of the building, built in 1965, while also modernizing it into a contemporary library. This incorporates new technologies and creates flexible spaces for contemporary research, scholarship, archival, and environmental demands. At the well known intersection of Maryland Ave and Oliver...
more »Robert L. Bogomolny Library at the University of Baltimore
University of Baltimore
Baltimore, Maryland
The transformation of the RLB library is a project that respects the original design of the building, built in 1965, while also modernizing it into a contemporary library. This incorporates new technologies and creates flexible spaces for contemporary research, scholarship, archival, and environmental demands. At the well known intersection of Maryland Ave and Oliver St, this site maintains visual connections to Pennsylvania Station and other landmarks on the UB Campus.
The main concept of a “floating box” was kept intact with the glazed ground floor making it possible to perceive the upper volume as detached from the ground and therefore appear suspended in air. On the west side of the building, a Glass Hall was constructed; it creates a new entrance on Oliver St making a pedestrian link between the University Bookstore and the John and Frances Angelos Law Center. Minimizing the impact on the building structure, the renovation maintained accommodation of the library organization of program spaces on the existing library floor plates placing stacked spaces towards the interior zone of the floor, between the cores, to mitigate any impact of sunlight on the printed material. Offices, study rooms, and informal work areas that occupy the eastern portion of the building benefit from access to Maryland Street and views toward Penn Station.
Overall, the transparency and brightness are enhanced by internal glass wall partitions, while its geometry favors internal circulation by visually and directly connecting the different levels. The flexible layout of the building, with its large transparent windows, has helped reduce the impact of the restorations on the original structure, as well as keeping the costs low.
Architect: Behnisch Architekten
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