Design Award Alert! UofSC Law School & Richland Library Cooper

The Columbia chapter of the American Institute of Architects recognized the University of South Carolina School of Law and Richland Library Cooper with 2018 design awards. Both projects celebrate visionary clients and design efforts led by BOUDREAUX, a Columbia-based architecture, interiors, planning, and preservation firm.

The School of Law earned an Honor Award. The School of Law is the focal point for the legal community of South Carolina. The life of the school is a central courtyard which serves as a reference point for wayfinding as well as an outdoor space for gathering, events, teaching, and chance encounters. Within the building, major circulation and program components including monumental stair, cafe, and library commons and reading room are organized around the courtyard, fostering community and connectivity. The school harmoniously occupies an entire city block linking campus to urban core while respecting the setting of two historic houses, the Taylor House and the Horry-Guignard House and Dependency. The design was completed in association with SmithGroupJJR. Gilbane Building Company served as the contractor with program management by Cumming.

Richland Library Cooper earned a Merit Award. With a focus on community specific services and character, an existing library, Richland Library Cooper, was reinvented into a neighborhood hub for learning, creating and sharing. The street side children’s addition provides a new identity on a long narrow site. Fresh and light, the painted exterior is enlivened by subtle use of color and form highlighted by wood entry features to tie into the residential character of the area. The relocated entry is central to the existing parking and opens into a series of interconnected spaces anchored by a coffee shop environment. Appealing to retirees and families alike, at one end is a quiet reading room. At the opposite end is the playful children’s room and art studio framed by a portal in the shape of a house. The design was completed in association McMillan Pazdan Smith and Margaret Sullivan Studio. PYRAMID Contracting served as the contractor, with program management by MB Kahn.