It’s no secret that today’s society has become increasingly reliant on the digital world. We’re moving from a society in which libraries once housed our main source of knowledge and learning engagements to a world in which everything is now available for download at a moment’s notice.
What happens when a once occupied and lively campus landmark no longer finds the need to be a library?
Established in 1963, Rio Hondo College’s 10,200 sq. ft. Library Tower was originally built to maximize its usage as the campus’s main library. Located in the heart of Rio Hondo College, this six-story, concrete building is an iconic feature for the campus and can be viewed across the hillside of the San Gabriel Valley. In 2009, the Rio Hondo College District’s Master Plan identified a smaller, less iconic building to take over as the Rio Hondo College Library and Learning Resource Center. Instead of tearing down the original Library Tower, the District has decided to optimize this library transition by adjusting the physical structure of the building and updating the necessary requirements for it to continue to be a captivating campus landmark in today’s society.
Westberg White Architecture (WWA) is implementing this $22.8 million project in two phases. While the first phase includes a Seismic Improvement Retrofit and Code Upgrade, the second phase focuses on reusing and adapting the Library Tower as a new administration and classroom building for the District and its students.
Construction on this two-phase Library Tower began in November, 2017, and progresses with each day. WWA continues to oversee this project and will provide valuable updates as construction continues to advance.