St. Petersburg, Fla.

This facility is the first new building to grow out of the campus master plan completed by Ayers/Saint/Gross in 2002. The open design allows capacity for 300,000 volumes and includes the reference collection and reading room overlooking the lagoon; group study rooms on the opposite side to take advantage of natural light; internal stacks that avoid light; and a tower that marks the entrance and houses a large conference/study room.

There are in excess of 450 seats in the public areas. Adjacent to the main reading room is a screened lanai for enclosed outdoor reading, and wireless technology will be incorporated throughout. The library also is home to the College archives.

The abundance of natural amenities at Eckerd College's presented Ayers/Saint/Gross with an unusual opportunity: Six sites on campus were considered. The preferred choice is adjacent to a lagoon and takes into consideration the proximity to the academic and residential cores, an absence of protected vegetation, and a pedestrian path nearby. The site also faces north, the preferred orientation for large windows in a library.

Ayers/Saint/Gross was design architect in association with Canerday, Belfsky & Arroyo.

Completion: 2004
Size: 50,000 gsf
Cost: $13 million