Tuesday, January 3, 2012

The Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center

Welcome back everyone. We in Preservation Services hope you all had very happy holidays! It's a new year (happy 2012!) and here at Dartmouth we're fortunate to have a brand new facility on campus. The new Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center is AWESOME!

I was able to tour the facility with some of my colleagues and was blown away; it is magnificent in every way. The building is energy efficient, has beautiful public spaces, fabulous lab space, and state of the art classrooms that maximize interaction.

Much has been written about the energy efficient building, the flexible and innovative classroom design. Here are a few photos help tell the story:

The research labs.

Public space.

Window view.

Smart displays guide visitors through the building.

There is a greenhouse on the top floor.

This classroom is ringed with white boards and large monitors so that students can gather around the monitor, attach a laptop, and collaborate on a project.

The tour got me thinking back to when Preservation Services and other collection services departments moved in 2000 from Baker Library to the current location in Berry Library and what a tremendous difference it made on our day to day work. Our new home in Berry Library was purposely designed to link Acquisitions and Cataloging so that our staff could easily and effortlessly consult one another. When we were in Baker Library a simple question could involve traveling upstairs, through study stacks, or other connecting routes. From the first day that we moved into Berry and our department spaces were connected, the work dynamic changed. We found that by being physically closer, collaboration and communication effortlessly increased.

A well-designed building can enhance the work-life of its inhabitants. Walking through the Life Sciences Center got me thinking again about space dynamics and the differences they can make if thoughtfully planned.

Now, how to get a greenhouse on the top floor of Berry Library...

Written by Barb Sagraves. Photos provided by David Seaman and his iPad.

No comments:

Post a Comment