Hot take: The new public library in Springfield has a design flaw that everyone seems to love

I was at the grand opening of the new Springfield Public Library last week, and everyone was raving about the exposed ductwork and piping in the main reading room. They call it an 'industrial chic' look. I spent about an hour there, and I have to disagree. From a practical building standpoint, it's a poor choice. All that exposed HVAC is going to be a dust magnet, and cleaning those twenty foot high ducts will require a special lift and crew every few months. I overheard one of the architects say it 'celebrates the building's guts,' but I see a future maintenance headache and a lot of wasted energy, as those ducts aren't insulated at all. It prioritizes a fleeting style over long term function and cost. Has anyone else worked on a project where the design trend clearly fought against basic building sense?

2 comments

2 Comments

wren_walker624d ago

What if the look is worth the extra work?

jones.mason4d ago

Celebrating the building's guts is a fancy way of saying they forgot the drywall budget. It's like buying a car with the engine strapped to the hood and calling it a design feature. Wait until the first time a kid sneezes and you can watch the dust cloud settle on every pipe. That trendy look will get real old when the heating bill arrives and all the warm air is just hanging out in the rafters.