A group of 19 Auburn University students offered several visions Friday of what a downtown public library could look like and where it could be built if the community wants to pursue such an endeavor.
The result was five building designs at four separate locations.
“We don’t expect that any of our libraries will get built,” said Joshua Emig, associate professor of the master’s of design build program for Auburn University. “But we hope the ideas we provide will continue to inform the process and help Chattanooga arrive at what they need in the end.”
The students spent four hours Friday giving presentations on the five different design concepts at green/spaces on Main Street.
David Clapp, executive director of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library, attended the event and watched the unveiling of all the designs. He said he was excited to see the presentations and get ideas for what a potential downtown library could look like.
He said he also wants the public to see the ideas the students developed.
“I plan on hanging these from the walls of the library,” he said.
The students pinpointed potential spots a new library could be located. All the concepts were for “green” libraries that meet the criteria for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.
This is not the first foray into Chattanooga for the Auburn graduate students, who all are enrolled in the Auburn master’s program. Earlier this year, two of the students drafted an award-winning design for Volkswagen’s pedestrian bridge.
Jon Coddington, with RiverCity Co., said he met Mr. Emig earlier this year during the presentation ceremony for the Volkswagen pedestrian bridge and encouraged him and his students to come up with the library designs.
The Benwood Foundation and the city of Chattanooga chipped in on a $5,000 grant to help pay students’ expenses, he said.
“It’s a win for the city because they get to get ideas from the students, and it’s a win for the students because they get to hear from their clients,” he said.
Richard Beeland, spokesman for Mayor Ron Littlefield, said he hopes the mayor’s library task force gets to see the designs.
POSSIBLE LOCATIONSA group of 19 Auburn students proposed four different sites for a downtown library:* Riverfront Parkway and M.L. King Boulevard on the Westside near the Tennessee Riverwalk* Next to Renaissance Park* Riverfront Parkway behind AT&T Field* M.L. King Boulevard across from Bessie Smith Cultural CenterSource: Auburn University, Master of Design Build
“This is an ideal way to get good ideas for what we can do,” he said.
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