Earl S. Richardson Library

The 220,000 GSF facility furnishes access to all of the Library's holdings, showcases the University's valuable special collection of African American manuscripts and memorabilia, and supports the quality of life for students, faculty and staff.

The site strategically places the library along Morgan Commons, the main pedestrian spine for the campus, at the mid-point between the academic quadrangle to the north and the adjacent campus to the south.

The site required a conceptual strategy that allowed all four elevations of the building to address specific conditions. To the north, the Library visually connects to the academic campus, with a specific visual link to Holmes Hall, the most iconic building on campus. To the east, the building serves to strengthen and animate a new pedestrian mall designed as part of this project. Along the south, the building establishes an edge to a lawn that visually links the campus to Hillen Road, while the west elevation of the Library establishes an edge between the campus and the community, as well as opens up views into the Library that conveys to the community the vibrant nature of the new facility.