Beeson Law Library (Samford University) Location Birmingham, Alabama Size 60,300 Square Feet Cost Please contact us for up-to-date figures Status Completed The new Lucille Stewart Beeson Law Library at Samford University, judiciously enriched with classical details and traditional materials, is sited to form a three-sided quadrangle with the Law School and Brooks Hall. The slope of the site allows the library to expose a two-story face to the north, while turning its grander three-story facade to the new quadrangle. It is connected to the Law School by a glassed-in colonnade (pictured to the right) that also serves as a weather vestibule to the new library. The new facility is a state-of-the-art structure that meets the functional needs of a working library within a building that bespeaks of the dignity, majesty, and tradition of the law itself. The interior organization is integrally related to the exterior massing: an open, airy central space flanked by denser, less publicly used functions. The heart and soul of the library is the grand reading room, which soars sixty feet from the first floor to the light monitor above. Fluted Greek columns support and define the space up to the third floor, where arched openings overlook the reading room. The grand reading room is located within the inner core of the building, lit brightly by a large light monitor through which the sunshine pours. From the third floor to the base of the light monitor, the walls lean slightly inward to exaggerate the sense of height. Ease of maintenance was also a consideration. A catwalk at the level of the monitor provides easy access for window washing and re-lamping of light fixtures. Contact Kevin Huse: khuse@woollenmolzan.com 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20  21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29  Return To Project List