LIBRARY AT UPHAM'S CORNER
48-305 Praxis Studio II
Professor Jeremey Ficca
Section Instructor Jeff King
This proposal for an Upham’s Corner branch library explores the role of a library in the life of a child growing up in the neighborhood. As a child progresses from childhood to adulthood, their perception of this library in their life will change, and the architecture of the space responds accordingly, making the library an allegory of growing up. In order to be a guiding figure and relevant support resource for youth in the community, the library features programs to develop additional facets of a child’s formal education such as their cultural, artistic, and technical knowledge.
In order to support existing cultural and community institutions in Dorchester such as the Strand Theater or various community gardens, spaces such as music practice rooms, fabrication shops, and outdoor community gardens are combined with community functions to form a separate but attached community center in the building with after-hours access, allowing the library to operate as two separate buildings under one roof. The journey from youth to adulthood is architecturally manifested through the circulation sequence inside the building, beginning from the children’s zone community space and ending at the cemetery, which becomes a cloister for the library as a place for reflecting and learning.
Spring 2024 studio project
