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EJournal ARCHIVE
Read the issues you missed or didn't have time to finish. All past EJournals are here for you to re-read or forward to your colleagues.
IN THE NEXT ISSUE
Part 4 of Proper Care and Feeding of Your Library
will provide a series of resources to assist in maintenance, inspection and capital replacement efforts.
Engberg Anderson is a proud participant in Library Journal's Design Institute. |
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In this issue, we continue our discussion of doing more with less. We'll look at some of the bigger picture strategies available to extend the reach of the budget and of the life of library itself.
Joe Huberty | AIA | LEED AP BD+C | Partner |
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Iowa City (IA) Public Library |
Mixed Use Libraries
More than the Sum of the Parts
In searching for ways to get that library building you so desperately need, it is often tempting, and daunting, to partner with some non-traditional allies. Much can be promised: the possibility of political support, reduced capital and operating costs, economic growth in the community, a more sustainable land use pattern, and more.
Making sure that the reality matches the promise takes attention to detail and a clear understanding of what motivates your new found friends. There are a number of essential questions to answer before you start down this path and many more to be sure you stay true to the potential advantages as you work out the details.
To be successful, you must be able to:
Identify benefits and challenges, direct and indirect, associated with locating a library in a mixed-use building.
Understand your partners, their goals for the project and how they align with or diverge from your needs.
Evaluate key purchase provisions included in the condominium agreement.
Budget for life cycle expenses including acquisition, capital improvements, operations, and long term maintenance.
What is mixed use?
It's not really that new. In fact, many libraries started out in a space located in a building that had some other function. Often with other services, sometimes adjacent to a commercial enterprise, the library was one of a number of functions in a single building. That is essentially mixed use. The specifics have changed a bit: the library is typically larger, anything from a few thousand square feet to upwards of 100,000 square feet; the size of the building is also typically a bit larger - though this is not an absolute; and the complexity of the other uses is often greater - modern residential buildings and commercial storefronts have become more sophisticated over time just as libraries have; and now many include parking at a lower level.
While size can vary dramatically, the constant is that you will have a neighbor or two... or forty. And your neighbors will be right on top of you, sometimes literally. We all know that proximity enhances or exacerbates relationships. Making sure everyone can be a good neighbor (have the right fence) is an important aspect of the planning phase.
Why would we do this?
The benefits to the library come in two flavors: economics and mission. The mission part is easy. The recent article "Community Centered" in Public Libraries (September/October, 2011) cites the advantages of being in the heart of things. Mixed use buildings bring you in close proximity to people on a daily basis and increases the serendipitous pairing of a library visit with other events in the daily routine of those living, working, shopping or recreating around you. Simply put, more people will stop in more often and see the library as part of every day life rather than as a special single purpose trip. That's a good thing! (Sorry Martha.)
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Milwaukee (WI) Public Library - Villard Square Branch |
The other, and perhaps driving factor, is economics. A library space in a mixed use building is often less expensive to construct and less expensive to operate than a free standing library of the same size. Milwaukee Public Library compared the costs of replacing their Villard Square Branch as a free standing facility and as part of a commercial/ residential mixed-use project and found that the mixed use was three-quarters the cost of the stand alone approach. That's $1.5 million dollars! Similarly, a building with four floors of apartments above you will reduce your energy costs; the spaces above you provide great insulation.
What are the pitfalls?
Simply put, everyone else associated with the project has their own agenda, and it may not match yours.
What the city wants
- Economic development! As noted in the Public Libraries article, municipalities want the economic development that libraries represent. More than anything else, this drives the interest of the city. The revitalization of new development of new business is often tied to generating traffic in that commercial zone. Libraries bring a lot of people to a specific place on a routine basis. You are just what the community needs to attract retailers.
- Density. Compact development is less expensive to support in terms of infrastructure. In larger communities, density supports and reduces the cost of roadways, public transit, storm water management and public safety. They simply do not have to extend these services out farther and farther. In smaller communities, part of the attraction is a sense of community built around the "town square" or "main street", both of which are much more attractive when they are filled with people. Again, the library brings people to fill out the Rockwell image of life in a small town.
What the developer wants
- Your visitors! The potential development of commercial space depends on visitors. The development of residential space depends on amenities. You can see how a library, as part of a development, makes it easier to attract investors and tenants to a project.
- Your site. In many instances, mixed use libraries are being constructed to replace an existing library, on or near the site of the current library. This is a testament to how well many libraries were placed. While not overtly stated at the time, the library functions much
 like any retail endeavor and a location that makes for easy access is just as important to retailers as it is to librarians. You got there first, and now, the developers would like to share in your foresight. It's the first rule of real estate: location, location, location.
- Your money. Sometimes the library buys
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Madison (WI) Public Library -
Sequoya Branch |
a condominium space in the project. Sometimes the library gets the space for free and just has to finish it off. There might even be a case where the library just moves its stuff in exchange for the land under the project. In any case the developer is getting something of value and whether it is land, or land and money, you are contributing to the financial viability of the project, in addition to the visits you generate. Take note of this leverage and use it wisely.
Balancing the competing interests
These projects work best if everyone gets what they need. Not everyone will get everything they want, but in many cases, all parties will derive the essential benefits they seek. Reasonable expectations and a clear understanding of what is essential and what is elective are important. As you negotiate, remember that you are the strongest advocate for library service. It is imperative that you know what you need and understand what is being offered.
- What makes a good library? These are not any different than in a stand alone building: You know the importance of each of these. Don't give them up.
- Effective - Efficient - Flexible
- Sustainable - Adaptable - Expandable
- Memorable - Inspirational
- What makes a good building? Again these are not different in themselves. You understand the impact on energy and maintenance costs. What is new is that the developer will be looking at these with a different set of expectations.
- Affordable
- Durable
- Energy Efficient
Each of these is an expense to the developer, often incurred without any expectation of pay back. What is the incentive to build an energy efficient building if the builder doesn't pay for energy? Here is where you need to be reasonable but firm. You will be paying for poor quality construction so insist on a reasonable quality. If you want top of the line quality, be prepared to pay for it up front in the purchase price of your space. If you want the lowest initial cost, be prepared to budget for energy consumption and maintenance costs on an annual basis. The choice is yours and it has to make sense in light of your resources.
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Madison (WI) Public Library - Goodman South Madison Branch |
Not new, but not familiar
There are a number of aspects of library design that are unfamiliar to most developers who specialize in retail or residential construction. The biggest of these are the code requirements related to the large number of people who will use the library space.
- Floor Structure. Books are heavy. Heavier than cars, than people, than office furnishings... you get the idea.
- Exits. People panic in emergencies. Large numbers of people, unfamiliar with their surroundings, need to find safe ways to get out of a public building. Lots of wide exits, with easy to operate hardware (panic devices).
- Class of Construction. Libraries need walls and structural supports that will resist fire for extended periods to allow adequate time to evacuate the building.
- Separations. Libraries need to be separated from other uses to reduce the risk of fires migrating from adjacent uses into the library space.
None of these are particularly problematic unless you forget to include them in the project. Most common is that the expenses associated with each were not anticipated in the initial budgeting and contract negotiations and thus came as a surprise later in the process. No one likes surprises - especially when they cost money. Be sure you mention them early so that the budget matches the reality.
Profit is essential
While you are typically in a good negotiating position by virtue of your site or the number of visits you can generate, it is rare that you can get everything and pay nothing. Understand the basic economics for the developer. After land acquisition, site development, building construction, costs of borrowing, approvals and legal fees, there has to be some profit to the development team if the project is to move ahead. No profit means no project.
Part of this balance is controlling expenses. Thus the motivation to build cheap and maximize revenue, and to charge you as much as possible for the library space.
Paying for the library space is only one of your expenses. Additional costs include:
- Completion of construction. Typically you only get the shell (a white box or gray box) and you need to build walls, put in ceilings, mechanical systems above the base building infrastructure.
- Furnishings, equipment and technology.
- Moving costs, collection acquisition.
- Soft costs such as legal fees, architectural services, engineering and the like.
Be pragmatic. If the costs exceed your resources, you need to continue the negotiations to find the necessary balance. At some point you may need to walk away from the deal. Be certain that the developer is taking the same approach. When it comes to the economics, it either works or it doesn't. And if it doesn't work in negotiations, it is not going to get better later.
How do we get through this?
The steps are really no different than any other construction project. You have to allow more time and invest more effort in communication to be sure that the larger team has a shared vision of how all parties are going to end up whole. You will see there is a premium on planning, and pre-planning, and that you will need to make decisions soon in the mixed use process to establish that initial agreement. But it can be done!
- Plan. Know your needs and budget.
- Coordinate. Use your municipal and system resources, staff, and library network. You are not alone. Use public works, municipal attorney, city administrator....
- Communicate. The audience will change over the course of the project and the level of detail they expect will vary. When in doubt, err on the side of too soon and too much. Planning a communication strategy - who talks to who about what and when - is part of your pre-planning.
- Library Board - Politicians - Library Staff
- Municipal Staff - Community - Architect
- Developer - Contractor
- Anticipate Lead Times. Everything takes longer than you think. If your project requires Swiss timing you are set up for frustration. Anticipate some delay at some point. Adapt, but stay focused on the bigger goals.
- Financing - Technology connections
- Negotiations - Training staff
- The move - Acquiring a collection
- Evaluate. Things can go astray quickly if you are not watching.
- Progress. Are things moving according to schedule? If not, make corrections early. There is less opportunity to get back on track the longer you wait.
- Quality. Get it right at the beginning. You paid for it, make sure it is installed correctly. Overlooking defects in order to meet a schedule adds to the operating and maintenance costs and hastens the day you will have to replace the defective work.
- Advocate. Trust, but verify. If you sense a problem, act.
- Participate. Your efforts do not end when you have a contract, or when you have a completed building. They go on. You will be a member of a condominium association or some other group that has to deal with the realities of owning a building. Again, it is more complex than owning a stand alone facility. You will need an agreement that spells out your responsibilities and rights before you purchase your space. As with all agreements, it works better if you work at maintaining a relationship.
- Establish a relationship. Be a good neighbor. Communicate. Things will come up and it is easier to deal with them if there is a solid foundation in place.
- Budget. You will need to fund your portion of shared maintenance as well as cover the expenses associated with your space. This is where the effort put into purchasing quality up front will pay dividends.
Go for it!
Our clients who have taken on the challenge see this as indeed being worth the effort. The cost savings and the service synergies more than compensate for the additional planning required. In fact, as both less costly and more connected to their communities, they see mixed use as a key component of keeping the library sustainable.
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Watch for the next EJournal. We will look at Youth Services renovations. |
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