Brief Report: 9/4/08 Shaw Library "Final" Design Meeting
VIDEOS -- unedited & raw
Chief Cooper's review (the meeting started about 15 minutes before any of these videos were recorded)
The architect shows the library evolution and designs in the next three videos...
Community comments and questions...
Part 1:
Chief Cooper talks about the goldenrod paper which shows the programming plans that DCPL had given to the architect when they were hired last year. The public first saw this plan in June 2008.
part 2
part 3
Chief Librarian Cooper started the meeting off with, "Tonight, you will see the library we are going to build." This was before any images were shown and before any public comments or questions. Once again, it felt that Shaw residents were only there as an audience and not to participate in any meaningful way.
The comments and questions from YOU, the Shaw community, were rushed because the architectural narrative took much time leaving about 45 minutes what many thought could be a back and forth discussion during the two hour meeting.
Many residents, including seniors and some ANC Commissioners, left before getting to comment. When Shaw had the opportunity to ask questions, the answers provided felt inadequate -- and no follow up questions were allowed.
Here Shaw is, shocked by the inexplicable evolution of their library from the "Jewel of Rhode Island" back to "The Bunker" over the past six months, and there was a time limit on the questions Shaw could ask about these important changes to the design plans! After 4 years without a library, how can DCPL put a time limit on questions about a new building?
DCPL did NOT provide handouts of floor plans or design images, only an agenda accompanied by an insulting list of behavior guidelines.
Many people in the audience commented on how it would have been helpful to have the new design plans printed out for these design meetings so residents can have them in hand to better develop comments and questions. This is especially especially important given that the plans were not online before the meeting and since the images DCPL showed us last night were hard to see and only briefly displayed.
STRUCTURALLY
* Not sure on the glass?
>It was hard to tell, from what we saw last night, exactly which portions of the building will be glass. The images we glimpsed during the slideshow had the library building painted as a light gray with white windows depicted against a white sky! This made it nearly impossible to see where the building ended and the sky began, even from the fourth row. It was impossible to compare it to the January 2008 design people seemed to prefer.
>The window well that was to bring natural light down to the otherwise windowless lower level is gone. The architects indicated that there will be some natural light spilling over from the top of the staircase.
* No Green Roof
> The architect delivered a 25 minute lecture about sustainable buildings -- not something the public had asked for -- and clearly intended to use up time. The powerpoint presentation would have made a good handout, except DCPL doesn't believe in handouts. But bottom-line, the vegetative green roof that was presented in January 2008 and shown again in July 2008, will not be included in your new Shaw Library.
> Vegetative green roofs help reduce storm water runoff, improve water quality, reduce energy requirements within the library, are aesthetically pleasing to surrounding buildings, and can serve as demonstration models that support the Library's mission to educate. A green roof has been promised since the beginning of the design process, but it is now gone. DCPL claimed budgetary constraints made it impossible but could not "pinpoint" a cost savings number for the audience.
INTERIOR
* No discussion about the floor plans
> There was very limited discussion about what would be going on the inside of the building. The floor plans were even harder to see and only briefly shown. After informing attendees that the handouts of floor plans provided by the Shaw Library Study Group were outdated, the architect admitted that only the lower level had changed.
> Again, due to due to the poor quality of images shown by the architect, it was impossible to tell what really was the case.
VIDEOS
* The Shaw Library Study Group will cut and edit a video for your viewing soon.
In the meantime, we ask you to join us in watching the DCPL website to see how long it takes for the design images to be put online. Plus we hope to see all of the images online that were shown to the audience last nite.
The last time it took more than 30 days for DCPL to put them up on their website (the DCPL meeting was held on June 23 and the images did not gu up online until after July 25) >>
http://dclibrary.org/dcpl/cwp/view.asp?a=1273&q=568410
WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE LIKE??
The Shaw Library Study Group invites you to share your experience of the meeting. Please send us a couple of paragraphs about what was valuable, what concerns you, and what if anything should be done now that the "final" meeting has gone down. Please send your thoughts directly to this list.
Thank you,
~ The Shaw Library Study Group
202-294-3693
http://www.districtdynamos.org/dynamos/shaw/home