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CULTURAL

Lafayette Library
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    Photograph courtesy Killefer Flammang Architects
  Lafayette Library and Learning Center, Lafayette, CA va
 

The new Lafayette Library and Learning Center represents a community-driven effort to build a regional resource and national model for the library of the future. It is home to the Glenn Seaborg Learning Consortium, a collaboration of 12 educational, cultural, and arts organizations, providing a wealth of materials.

The elegant and spacious three-level structure is situated on the side of a hill in the heart of downtown Lafayette. The 30,000 square foot space houses a collection of more than 110,000 books and audio visual materials. Features include the Arts and Science Discovery Center, a 150-seat community meeting room, a technology lab, and outdoor meeting and reading areas.

MLA worked with Killefer Flammang Architects on the design of the library as the audio and acoustical engineers of record. The work included interior acoustics, HVAC noise control, and audio visual systems. The audio visual was done for the community room as well as classrooms associated with the library function. The community room was particularly challenging due to its multiple functions. The mandate was to provide a room that would serve as a lecture hall, a recital hall for musical performances, a meeting space for the City Council with staff seating in the audience area, as well as an emergency center for the community. Each of these functions required a different acoustical and sound reinforcement system solution so the final design had to be a compromise.