University of Chicago - Regenstein

University of Chicago Regenstein Library

Chicago, Illinois

The University of Chicago's Joseph Regenstein Library is one of the great academic libraries of the world, but it lacks an important component of today's most dynamic learning environments—a collaborative learning center where students can work together in interactive groups. Our design transforms 12,000sf on the A Level of the Regenstein (Walter Netsch, SOM, 1970) into a vibrant laboratory of interactive learning and teaching for both undergraduate and graduate students. In the center are a broad open area subdivided by movable whiteboard panels that incorporate both lighting and power connections, The Workshop (a 36-person digital classroom), and the Egg (an experimental space for special projects and activities). Both can be joined with or separated from the core by sliding panels. Three sides of the central zone are lined with a varied array of collaborative study options (stools at a high workbar, side chairs at conference tables, lounge chairs at low tables) lined with video monitors and whiteboard panels. The fourth side is bordered by a casual arrangement of cafe tables and chairs for informal student/faculty sessions along a new 72-long wall of mullionless glass that will both open the space to the sunken garden outside and pull its daylight deep inside.