The long-awaited renovated library is now open to students, following a short ceremony at lunch.
“I’m excited to open this new and inspiring space for you,” principal Adam Paulson said at its opening during lunch. “This building is for you: it was built for you, it was designed for you, and it was made for you.”
The band played Paly’s fight song and the ribbon was cut.
View the images below to take a virtual tour of the new space with exclusive details revealed by Kellerman.
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INSTRUCTIONAL SPACES The building consists of multiple instructional spaces, which are similar to classrooms, as students will not be allowed to use them unless supervised by a teacher. Some use automatic folding doors to divide the spaces in half. Furniture for these spaces will arrive at a later time, Kellerman said. Photo by Alex FengCOLLABORATION ROOMS Three student collaboration rooms, varying in size, will be available for students to reserve. “We’re in charge so just like when students check out textbooks, we’ll ask them to leave something of value [when checking out a collaboration room],” Kellerman said. “We’ll ask you what your plans are because it’s meant to be a study room not a socializing room and we have faith that Paly students will respect the rules and guidelines because you guys are great.” Photo by Alex FengOPEN STUDY AREA FACING QUAD This area is home to a collection of study tables at ‘coffee’ height, similar to some of the current tables in the Student Center. The window ledge facing the quad will has chairs and provide another area for students to study as well as charge their devices. Photo by Alex FengCOMPUTER LAB Originally designed with the intent of hosting rows of desktop computers, the large computer lab will instead be furnished with the intent that students use their own personal laptops for classes that may be hosted here. The furniture will be modular and students will be able to arrange desks in different ways depending on the activity. Photo by Alex FengMAKERSPACE The makerspace area, with its cement floors, practical storage, whiteboard walls and industrial sink is a sturdy room built to foster creativity. “My understanding about that space [the makerspace] … is that it’s gonna be an open space for teachers to book the room. … It was designed to be like the dSchool at Stanford so kind of a prototyping, idea-sharing space,” Kellerman said. A small room to the side of this space has the capacity to hold certain types of machinery (possibly a 3D printer), and is outfitted with its own exhaust system. Photo by Alex FengBREEZEWAY/GALLERY This wide hallway divides the building into two separate sections — the library and the Guidance Offices. The space was designed so students would be able to cut through the building rather than have to walk around it. Student art, banners and school awards will be displayed throughout the length of the breezeway. Photo by Alex FengMEZZANINE Up an elegant spiral staircase is a narrow mezzanine — off limits to students — that houses historical archives for the school, including century-old issues of the school yearbook, newspapers and magazines. “So we have the homage to the old, we have the bright lights and the modern furniture for the new,” Kellerman said. Photo by Alex FengNATURAL LIGHT Kellerman noted the building design’s emphasis on providing students with as much natural light as possible. The lights have special sensors that work to respond to the amount of light coming through the skylights. For example, if it is a sunny day the lights will be turned off. The excess of windows throughout the interior of the building allows this light to flow into several different spaces. “I think they [students] will just really love is the natural light,” Kellerman said. “It was bonkers that you would … plan a facility with no natural light and we had no natural light [in the old library].” Photo by Alex FengSTAFF ROOM Another goal of the new complex was to create a space for staff collaboration. “We’re very compartmentalized so [former Principal] Ms. [Kim] Diorio’s vision was to have a room where teachers could just meet for lunch, and then it also is another conference room for teachers when they need to get together and solve problems,” she said. The room is equipped with a kitchenette and white board-clad walls. Photo by Alex FengLIBRARIAN REFUGE Additionally, a large room adjoining the library is assigned to the librarians with space to sort books and take breaks. Outside this space will be a row of rolling shelf units will provide efficient storage for literature. Photo by Alex FengGUIDANCE AND COLLEGE AND CAREER CENTER One of the largest departments moving into the new complex is Guidance. This includes offices for counselors, a reception area and a variety of larger spaces for meetings. Next door is another series of offices that will house the College & Career Center, along with various other staff personnel currently located in the Tower Building. Photo by Alex FengASSOCIATED STUDENT BODY ROOM A medium-sized room with curved walls and a kitchenette will be home to the multi-faceted Student Activities Director and Japanese Teacher Matt Hall. Photo by Alex Feng
