NSU Lyman B. Brooks Library

Located at the geographic center of the campus, the Lyman B. Brooks Library creates a new west “academic” quadrangle and a new east “student life” quadrangle. Plazas at both library entrances along the primary East-West pedestrian thoroughfare of the campus provide gathering spaces and outdoor study areas with access to the campus’ wireless data network.

The 132,000-square-foot library features a unique sinuous form that responds to the constraints of the site. The building is anchored by a dramatic 3-story, glass enclosed rotunda soaring over 90 feet in height and bringing natural light into the library’s interior, a lively, activated and inviting space that will accommodate the University’s growing student population.

Conceived to be a distinctive signature building for Norfolk State, the new library is state-of-the-art with a technology-rich Information Commons, Computer Resource Lab, e-Learning Center, and Internet Café. In addition to traditional book stacks and reading spaces, the building contains 30 study rooms, a graduate student research room and a large meeting/instruction room that accommodates up to 50 people and includes the latest in audio-visual capabilities. 

The first floor has a central lobby, an Information Commons, Information Services, Media Services, a large & small instruction room, as well as mechanical and electrical spaces.

The second floor holds collections, a variety of group study areas, the Marshal collection, an Archives area, and a Museum/Gallery area.

The library’s second floor area is comprised of art exhibit and archive/special collections storage areas.  These areas contain student and staff artwork and irreplaceable archives related to the history at NSU.  The systems serving these areas are specifically designed and built for protection of the collections and include: Individual zone HVAC systems with MERV 8 and 13 filtration, clean-steam humidification, inert gas (oxygen depleting) fire protection systems, UV filtering glazing systems, high accuracy environmental controls, and positive pressurization to limit migration of dust and mold spores into these areas.  SBBCC was responsible for developing a means for NSU staff to relocate the library and archive collections from the existing to the new facility.  Lessons learned included requirements to design and construct of an enclosed “bridge” connecting the two (2) building that was pressurized and indoor environmentally (temperature/humidity/filtration) controlled similar to the new facility to prevent the archives from damage due to exposure. ​

The third floor includes collections, group study rooms, E-Learning spaces, and administration offices.

The previously existing library building, a 154,000 GSF building was demolished. This demolition included hazardous material abatement.

The library was designed to LEED standards to reduce energy and water use, improve indoor air quality, and promote the wise use of materials. The design also called for increased wall and roof insulation to reduce energy costs.

The library’s other green features include: low-emissivity glazing; ample daylight to reduce dependence on electric lighting; carbon dioxide sensors to assist in providing adequate ventilation; pervious pavers to decrease the quantity of storm runoff from the site; reflective standing-seam metal roofing to prevent the Heat Island Effect and reduce building cooling loads; and dual-flush toilets, 0.125 gallon-per-flush urinals, and 0.5 gallon-per-minute lavatories, which contribute to a water use reduction of over 50 percent.

A marquee building for the campus, the library is a cornerstone of the university’s master plan revitalization efforts and was designed to play a crucial role in re-developing the core of the campus. The library offers a variety of study and learning environments to both students and the community, including the Information Commons located directly off of the main lobby, which serves as an informal collaborative study environment and includes an Internet Café.

The dynamic form of the new building includes a dramatic 90-foot tall glass-enclosed rotunda that invites pedestrian circulation from the east and west.  At night this feature serves as a beacon of learning and knowledge for the campus and by day the three-story rotunda channels natural light and warmth into the library’s modern interior spaces. The building features generous sections of curtain wall and punched windows with high performance glazing to maximize natural light, along with shading devices to control heat gain. The building’s stepped floor plate design allows for controlled natural light to filter back into the adjacent support spaces off the main reading room. The interior program spaces are designed to create a sense of openness and provide a visual connection to adjacent activities, as well as frame views of the campus quadrangles to the east and west.​

The building’s glass entrance rotunda creates a welcoming “lantern” for students to learn and gather and also functions as a venue for events and exhibits. The Information Commons serves as a formal computer lab as well as an informal gathering place and internet café with food service. In addition to a circulation collection of 500,000 volumes, Brooks Library offers archive spaces, computer resource labs, media services/copy center, group study rooms, student multi-media lab, technology classroom for library instruction, and technology assistance spaces