Boston Public Library, Allston Branch
A Library for Community
The new Honan-Allston Branch Library is a single story 20,000 square foot building along a prominent neighborhood street. The building addresses issues that are important to the Boston Public Library, including maximum visual control within the library, a reading garden that serves as many spaces as possible, off-hours access for community use and a prominent reading room on the front of the building.
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Client: The Boston Public Library
Location: Allston, MA
Year: 2001
Status: Built
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9th International Award for Architecture in Stone | Veronafiere International Exhibition of Marble Stone and Technology | 2005
Award for Design Excellence | Boston Society of Architects | 2004
AIA National Honor Award for Architecture | National Association of the American Institute of Architects | 2003
Harleston Parker Medal | Boston Society of Architects | 2003
Honor Award | Boston Society of Architects | 2002
Honor Award | AIA New England | 2002
Honor Award | Boston Society of Landscape Architects | 2002
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Hershman, Marcie. "The 2003 Harleston Parker Metal; The Honan-Allston Library." Architecture Boston, January/ February 2004: pp. 39-41.
Campbell, Robert. "At the new Allston Library, Machado and Silvetti pleases the public with a casual, stylish building." Architectural Record, January 2002: pp. 86-91.
Campbell, Robert. "New Allston library is a gem." The Boston Globe, June 21, 2001: Section D, pp. 1, 3.
Shand-Tucci, Douglass. "Allston and beyond." Boston Phoenix, February 26, 1999: pp. 16-17.
Programmatic Zones
The scheme divides the building into three parallel zones. The front zone contains all the active, information-gathering program components, including the stacks. The rear zone contains all of the meeting and program spaces, which have off-hours community use. The middle zone is very transparent, with alternating gardens and glass pavilion reading rooms. By creating several small garden spaces rather than a single large garden, each reading room is able to have a garden on both sides. This organization allows a beautiful Beech tree specimen to be preserved in one of the gardens.
Materiality
The warm material palette is made up of slate shingles and panels, rough slate blocks and wood cladding. Natural finished wood windows are used with a combination of fixed and operable units. The interior floors are a combination of wood and cork which shares the same warm tones of the exterior materials.