Prefer to listen? You can also find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere else you get your podcasts!
Welcome back to the Agati Video Podcast, a space where Joe Agati, COO & Director of Design here at Agati Furniture, hosts conversations with designers, architects, and difference-makers to bring inspiration and education to your work.
Today, Joe is joined by Toni Lombardozzi, who he met at this year’s ALA Annual Conference in San Diego, for a conversation about a ten-year project to update several library facilities in Charleston, SC. Toni is the project manager at Charleston County Public Library in Charleston, SC. Combining fifteen years in the design and construction industry and close to a decade of working specifically with libraries, Toni carries a unique cross-discipline perspective on the realities of translating library needs into physical spaces.
In this conversation, we discuss what Toni and her team considered when choosing furniture for their facilities, what they are considering for contextual design for various communities, lessons learned in undertaking a project that has spanned 10 years, common roadblocks they’ve encountered, and more.
Check it out:
Links:
Key Quotes:
- “Our world has become so consumer-focused and sometimes we lose sight of the need for spaces where anyone is welcome and you can just exist in that space. There is no expectation that you have to buy something.”
- “Don’t design in an executive bubble.”
- “We decided we wanted certain things that would be consistent everywhere when designing the spaces. For instance, all of our larger facilities have community rooms where all the tables and chairs are consistent from facility to facility.”
- “We had the key things that most people were looking for: We want lightweight. We want something that is durable and can be used heavily but is still easy to move around.”
- “If there is something major that needs to be changed, just understand the domino effect it can have.”
- “Everyone is equal when you come to a library.”
- “What you are offering is a welcoming place for your community. It’s rewarding!”
Subscribe to the Agati Video Podcast
To ensure you don’t miss future conversation we share on the Agati Video Podcast, be sure to subscribe over on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify! We’ll also be sharing each new episode via email, and you can get that delivered straight to your inbox by using the form below:
