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Design Guidelines and
Library Information & Technology Center
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UC Merced expanded the program of a traditional library to bring students to the heart of the campus. In addition to the library, the LITC houses a student center, student clubs, admissions, and classrooms.
"SOM is very interested in environmental sustainability, but we're also interested in social sustainability," Byles said. "It's very important when you don't have a big student body that everyone feels like they're part of a community. When there aren't many students around it is important to see the ones that are. This is particularly important in order to create a sense of vibrancy and security for those studying late at night at the library."
From a planning perspective, the LITC attracts students making their way from the lower campus (where some dormitories and athletics are located) to the services and schools of the upper campus. A pedestrian bridge connecting the two parts of campus ends in front of the LITC, and the building engages students through its transparency and open spaces created by roll-up glass doors at the ground level campus reading room. By blurring the boundary between interior and exterior campus life, the LITC provides a vibrant place for interaction between students, faculty, and the community.
Creating a unique sense of place was as much about encouraging community as it was about relating to the Central Valley environment—both its landscape and architecture. "The LITC borrows its massing, form, and finishes from the industrial and agricultural buildings in Merced, which also serve as markers or landmarks in the otherwise sparse landscape," explained Craig Hartman, Design Partner at SOM. "Its strong, clean forms are expressions of grain silos, semi trucks, rail, and cattle cars." Valley aggregate was used in the concrete to bring the warm color of the Valley to the project, as were native grasses and trees in the landscape.
The LITC also takes its form from the design strategies used to mitigate the Valley's punishing temperatures. Capturing the abundant sunlight and cool winds that cross Lake Yosemite, SOM created a seamless experience between the building and the outdoors with daylighting and natural ventilation. SOM oriented the building North-South and designed deep-set facades to give visual texture and provide shade while maintaining views. On a clear day, visitors can see the Sierra Nevada from the circulation level.
When illuminated at night, the LITC becomes a lantern; the glass louvers, which protect the project from the sun, reflect light in the evening, creating a glow that marks the site on campus. Operable glass garage doors, loggias, and arcades on the ground level provide natural ventilation and shade while inviting students to work and congregate outside in this extended “campus living room.”
Though the LITC contributes to a sustainable, forward-looking, and inspiring campus ecology, it does so in a cost-conscious manner. As Byles said, "Sustainability doesn't have to be expensive. The budget was established in 1997 before the requirement of LEED® Silver, and before the sustainability goals. But with true prioritization, and by saying 'This is what we're committed to, this is where we're putting our money,' we were able to bid this building for only five percent more than its original budget."
Exceeding the LEED® Silver mandate for buildings on campus, the LITC earned LEED® Gold certification in December 2007 with the highest point rating of any UC Merced facility to date. The building was bid in 2003 and cost $220 per square foot.
Nicole Oncina | SOM San Francisco
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