The University of Oregon’s Campus Planning and Facilities Management team is planning changes for the future of Knight Library: with an exterior restoration project set to start in mid-June that will restore the historic facade of the library, and a concept for interior renovations with the goal of creating a “modern, 21st century research library.”
Preserving the Past – Exterior Restoration
The exterior project will focus on deferred maintenance and repair of the Knight Library exterior due to the library being one of the oldest buildings on campus. It requires periodic maintenance to preserve the building, Janell Cottam, the project’s representative, said.
Cottam said the Knight Library needs deferred maintenance to better maintain the building for years to come. Currently, the bricks are fairly porous, meaning it has small holes that allow air or liquid to pass through. Water intrusion in the mortar joints and the spaces between the bricks can cause deterioration in the material. To prevent this, the contractors must repoint, or fill in the joints between the bricks.
“[Reappointing] is very challenging to do well, but it is part of maintaining a building and especially one as old and important to the university as Knight Library is,” Mike Harwood, associate vice president and university architect of CPFM, said.
The renovation crew plans to install scaffolding and a tunnel over the entrance to protect students entering and exiting the building from any potential falling debris. The tunnel will be installed when construction begins in early June, and will remain up for about six to eight months.
Students will have access to the library during construction, Harwood said.
“A Modern 21st Century Research Library” – Interior Renovations
UO’s Campus Planning and Facilities Management is looking at a complete renovation of the Knight Library interior, and aims to turn the library into a “modern 21st century research library,” Cottam said.
Some of the Knight Library employees believe the library exterior could use many different renovations. Akshay Koshy, a senior education foundations major, said the lack of natural lighting present makes the library less inviting and that many areas in the library could use renovations.
“Once you’re in [Knight Library], I feel like you really get the vibe that you’re kind of trapped in a sense,” Koshy said. “The ceilings are really low, there is not a lot of light and the seating is uncomfortable. I do not know how you would solve a lot of those problems without a huge overhaul, but there’s still problems nonetheless.”
Joe Nowak, a junior marketing major, said that adding more natural light and improving the outside of the library could make it more inviting to students and community members.
“I think they could definitely do with more windows,” Nowak said. “You definitely feel like you’re in a petri dish with all the LED lighting sometimes.”
The next step in the restoration project is the fundraising stage, with CPFM’s goal of raising around $250 million, Harwood said. He also said it’s hard to determine when the fundraising will begin and how long it will take.
“We are all standing on the shoulders of the people that went before us, and so students today have a chance to influence what the students who come after them are going to experience in the library,” Harwood said. “I care about the future Ducks and that there would be a good library even better than the one that I have.”
CPFM is awaiting fundraising, which would allow the project to go into drafting.
Students can find more information on the project here.
