Welcome to Part 2 of our interview with Joe Agati Sr., for the conclusion of the biggest changes in library furniture including 3) Dominance of Technology and 4) Adaptability. Read Part 1 here. We’ll finish up with Joe’s views on the Future of Library Furniture!
With the advent of flat screens, university libraries looked for ways to provide group seating with access to computers, which now took up less space. Collaborative study with technology was really taking off, and furniture was needed to support these activities. Using the Hampton booth for group seating, we set about designing the work area and computer integration. We built access to data and power into the tabletops, with the hard drive mounted underneath for University of Florida, Smathers Library in 2000. (pictured on right) What a throwback! This early (group study with computer access) design would later lead to our Elements Media Station…
We adapted our furniture to support changes in technology. With bulky hard drives and CPU’s out of the way, we had more room for users. However, now users brought their own laptops. We designed the Elements Media Station with the option for connections for multiple laptops.
With larger flat screens, larger groups can collaborate with those in remote locations. Elements Media Stations at Cathedral Catholic High School (pictured on right) include the option of counter height seating along back booth panel, for the times when larger group collaborations are called for.
While doing our best to account for future technology transformations in our designs, one thing is constant: Maintaining the integrity of the Hampton booth seat, which ergonomically supports users who are performing table-top work.
Accommodating groups of all sizes, both the round and straight Hampton banquettes support the Elements media station. Add optional surrounds covered in fabric or veneers for ultimate privacy. For additional seating and workspace, add a back shelf and Sensi stools.
Libraries have long worked to provide more ways for people with disabilities to access the same materials and services as their non-disabled peers. The passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990 brought focus to accessibility in all public spaces. Architects and furniture designers looked for new ways to adapt spaces to be inclusive for all!
Everyone loves some private laptop workspace! Meeting ADA standards, the Pod Carrel gives patrons the comfort of a curved, partially-enclosed space. Fabric surrounds provide a pleasant, sound absorbing refuge. With room for a wheelchair to pull up to the table, accessible table surface height, and knee clearance, this carrel serves both wheelchair users and pull-up chair users. Each accessible computer workstation includes easy access to power located on the tabletop. The Pod Carrel pairs with wheelchairs and pull-up chairs, and also matches beautifully with the original POD. Pod Carrels can be combined to form a variety of shapes (as seen on left) or stand individually.
Initially, many people thought casters were the answer to “flexible” spaces. Through trial and error, we learned that if you are going to rearrange the space often and want many different people to be able to move the furniture, then casters are a great solution. If you want to have more control over the space, or will not move the furniture often (perhaps over 6 months), but still want to be able to adapt to future changes, then you will want to limit the use of wheels. Middle Country Public Library (right) is a great example of a mobile solution. Custom Hampton booths with shelves demarcate the space between the reading area and cafe. When more space is needed in the reading area for a community function or class, almost anyone could quickly roll the booths to another arrangement.
Here is an example of three possible arrangements using the same four booths:
Even without casters, these units can be rearranged fairly easily. The solid construction of Hamptons allows them to be pushed and picked up without jeopardizing stress points.
Curved Hampton booths are a flexible solution for spaces that want solid furniture today, but want to have the option to change their floor plan in the future. Curved booth segments in two continuous semi-circles create free standing rooms for people to have privacy while working together (shown far left). Curved modular units can be moved to serpentine connections for more of a communal feeling in a multi-purpose space (shown near left).
We have a customer who manages a Student Union in Florida. He tells us that he rearranges his Hampton booths (curved booths with panels -not on casters) every year, just to refresh the space!
Technology will continue to evolve. It will become more compact and streamlined. More data access is becoming wireless. We’ll probably have wireless power in the future, too. This will impact layouts. More tasks are becoming automated. Students are even using AI in their studies. At the end of day, though, we’ll all still be human. People will always need other people. That’s human nature -we’re social creatures, and that won’t change.
If anything, technological advances might increase our need to be around other people. We’ll always want to both meet in groups, and be “alone” yet around other people. We’ll always be drawn to comfortable, secure spaces.
Biophilic elements in public places continue to gain in popularity as designers and administrators place value on fulfilling innate human needs. Also, our social instincts to be around other people includes all people. Libraries continue to look for ways to make services accessible for people with disabilities. Spaces offering inclusion for many people, with access to elements of nature, such as sunlight, prospect and refuge, satisfy humans’ elemental needs.
It’s exciting! When I think about how much library furniture has changed, and how libraries are models for other public spaces, I’m inspired for our future. I remember in the 1990’s when libraries were filled with tables-and-chairs, carrels and tall bookshelves. That forward-thinking architect asked me to build restaurant-style booths for their library, and those booths have been evolving at a fast pace ever since.
Yes, the future for libraries will be continued flexibility for more changes. Along with supporting biophilic needs of security and comfort in seeking connections with nature and other people.
