Architects win industry honors for UMass Dartmouth library renovation

DARTMOUTH UMass Dartmouth's Claire T. Carney Library architects were recently presented with a series of awards at design ceremonies for their work on the three-year, $48 million renovation project.

DesignLAB architects were winners in the education category at the 34th Annual Interior Awards, hosted by Contract Magazine. At the BSA Design awards, designLAB took home two awards: the Citation for Transformative Addition to an Existing Building and, with Austin Architects, received the Hobson award, which is the highest level of overall award given.

The revamped library refocuses on a broader understanding of the needs of students and the library itself - keeping the books and periodicals, but also including new computers and technology, as well as places to study, meet, and relax.

The renovation and addition has been recognized in prominent architecture and design publications, including American Libraries, Contract Magazine, Architectural Record, Metropolis, and American Architects Building of the Week.

Paul Rudolph, the original architect of the campus, was one of the leading architects in America in the 1950s and 60s. He designed UMass Dartmouth with a library at the very center of campus, which was in line with his overall vision of creating an academic utopia. The campus design was considered ground-breaking in its day and its spirit lives on in the reimagined Claire T. Carney Library.

The library houses computer labs, study spaces, lecture halls, conference rooms, the Congressman Barney Frank Collection, a student veterans reading room, the Grand Reading Room, and the very popular Living Room, which, like many spaces within the library, serves as an academic and social gathering place.

The renovation of the Claire T. Carney Library is part of a series of recent investments aimed at expanding opportunity for UMass Dartmouth students and faculty. Completed projects include the new and revamped Fitness Center, the Hall-Hildreth IDEAStudio, and the College of Nursing's Elisabeth A. Pennington Simulation Laboratory.

The Massachusetts Accelerator for Biomanufacturing is scheduled to open in the coming weeks. In October of this year, Governor Deval Patrick announced funding for a new academic building at UMass Dartmouth that will support the campus's growing enrollment. In addition, there are plans for expansion of the Charlton College of Business and the School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST).

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Architects win industry honors for UMass Dartmouth library renovation