Tufts Library
Weymouth, MA
Status: Complete
“Susan Luscom, 64, said the new Tufts 'rivals' any building projects that have been recently completed in, 'any town...It’s beyond my wildest dreams...I’ve been in a lot of libraries and I love it. The kids will love it and the teens will love it.'“
–Ed Baker, Wicked Local
The New Tufts Library is a 52,000 sqft 21st-century library. The town of Weymouth created a new library charter to meet the needs of the community with a new central library. Tappé recognized that these goals directly corresponded to key components of their own library design process and practice. Together with the town, the project will play a prominent role in the Town’s 400th-anniversary celebration in 2022. The library includes an expanded children’s department, a new local history center, numerous study rooms, a variety of programming areas for different user groups, a comprehensive and scalable technology infrastructure, and a suite of community meeting rooms available for after-hours use. LEED Silver tracking.
Public library design today is about flexibility, with priority placed on elements such as an efficient and cost-effective floor plan, flexible spaces that can be reconfigured and repurposed, and an infrastructure that can expand and adapt. The new Tufts Library incorporates all these elements. Major improvements include:
An expanded children's services department with programming spaces for multiple age groups
A suite of community meeting rooms allowing for after-hours use
Special gathering spaces for juveniles, tweens, and young adults
A media lab for digital "maker" activities such as audio-visual and computer modeling
An expanded technology infrastructure of public computers, PACs, and wireless internet
Open reading areas infused with comfortable seating and outdoor views
Numerous study rooms equipped with SMART technologies
A local history center to display and preserve the library's nationally significant collection
An amphitheater and other outdoor open spaces for performance-based programs and passive recreation
