The most disastrous planning mistake for large libraries? Building underground!

Posted by vacuous (A) on September 6, 2024 at 09:52:51

In Reply to: More library pics posted by Luminator on September 4, 2024 at 22:39:19:

For some reason architects like to build university libraries that include underground levels. Does help solve issues with book storage space, in line with giving campus buildings a low profile and not rising to monstrous heights. Stanford University did just that with its main campus library, Green Library. Half the structure is underground! But the building is also situated in a 100 year flood plain. The architects that planned the building might have given more thought to that issue. Because in 1998 that hundred year flood hit. Water cascaded into the basement of Green Library, rising to knee deep levels, which then soaked and severely damaged over 60,000 books. Check the video to see such a truly spectacular library flood, which happened recently at the Smithtown Library of Long Island, New York.

Rivers of books! (Open in New Window)

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - (Re)Visiting UC Berkeley - Luminator 20:55:27 09/03/24 (16)

Lots of brutalist concrete architecture - Brian H P 17:46:43 09/04/24 (7)

The best of the Berkeley Campus? - vacuous 19:24:05 09/04/24 (6)

More library pics - Luminator 22:39:19 09/04/24 (5)

The most disastrous planning mistake for large libraries? Building underground! - vacuous 09:52:51 09/06/24 (4)

Lake Lagunita - Luminator 12:01:08 09/06/24 (0)

I'm sure you're also familiar with Dinkelspiel Auditorium at Stanford? - Chris from Lafayette 10:40:29 09/06/24 (2)

On weekday evenings, Dinkelspiel often holds free lectures - Luminator 12:16:18 09/06/24 (1)

Ms. CfL was an event manager at Dink for a couple of years - Chris from Lafayette 00:39:05 09/07/24 (0)

RE: (Re)Visiting UC Berkeley - Inmate51 07:50:38 09/04/24 (3)

Music Lovers Audio - Luminator 17:36:01 09/04/24 (2)

RE: Music Lovers Audio - Inmate51 19:02:21 09/04/24 (1)

We go back to Berkeley several times a year - Luminator 19:35:17 09/04/24 (0)

Excellent tour of the campus! More detail from the perspective of a librarian. - vacuous 01:02:11 09/04/24 (1)

My late aunt was a civilian librarian for the U.S. military - Luminator 07:44:27 09/04/24 (0)

RE: (Re)Visiting UC Berkeley - Chris from Lafayette 00:46:26 09/04/24 (1)

My wife got her old violin fixed - Luminator 07:26:33 09/04/24 (0)

Follow Ups

The most disastrous planning mistake for large libraries? Building underground! - vacuous 09:52:51 09/06/24 (4)

Lake Lagunita - Luminator 12:01:08 09/06/24 (0)

I'm sure you're also familiar with Dinkelspiel Auditorium at Stanford? - Chris from Lafayette 10:40:29 09/06/24 (2)

On weekday evenings, Dinkelspiel often holds free lectures - Luminator 12:16:18 09/06/24 (1)

Ms. CfL was an event manager at Dink for a couple of years - Chris from Lafayette 00:39:05 09/07/24 (0)

The most disastrous planning mistake for large libraries? Building underground!

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