Collegiate libraries are taking new shapes and providing new services to students.  Racks of books and quiet rooms are being supplemented by technology, collaborative learning spaces and places to foster social interaction.  

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At Connecticut College, KZLA created a new exterior plaza for the Shain Library that brings new life to the structure’s Brutalist architecture.  The renovation dramatically introduced natural light to the interiors while in the landscape, a major new plaza brings the gathering and working space into the landscape.  A linear rain garden defines the plaza edge and treats its stormwater.

 

The arboretum-quality planting palette across the campus was continued around library which now serves as the hub of campus.