Collegiate Library and Student Center
The Commons at Helm Library is the complete renovation and transformation of the three-story Margie Helm Library at Western Kentucky University. The unique program considers the evolution of the library in current academia and rethinks the relationship between social and intellectual spaces in a larger campus ecosystem.
2022 AIA Merit Awards for Excellence in Architectural Design
“The Commons honors the history and uniqueness of this important campus building. Adaptive reuse projects like this stitch together the old and the new, allowing us to reinterpret a space to be dynamic, flexible, and adaptable for future generations.”
— Jessica Gilbert, WKU Commons at Helm Library Project Manager, Manager Architecture Discipline
“Helm Library’s original architecture and history are valuable parts of WKU’s story, which we felt was crucial to incorporate into our design. Our research into the building’s history helped guide our approach.”
— Aric Andrew, WKU Commons at Helm Library Principal in Charge, Director Higher Education Design Studio
The building program incorporates six food venues plus a coffee shop surrounded by extensive dining and study areas offering a variety of seating options.
Three active learning classrooms are fully reconfigurable with operable partitions and movable furniture to support project-based learning.
Thoughtful design intention was given to creating a social environment that connected students and faculty in an organic way. Walls and floors were opened up for visual connections between spaces, and social stairs were incorporated to create spontaneous interactions.
The building sits along a pedestrian path linking upper campus to lower campus. To the fullest extent possible, portions of the path were regraded for universal accessibility forming a new circuit of accessible entrances, sidewalks, and parking.
The program transitions from active and social to quiet and individual as you move from the lower to upper floors.