The University Of Western Australia - EDFAA Library

The Education, Fine Arts and Architecture (EDFAA) Library was badly damaged during the hail storm on the 22nd of March 2010. Close to 15% of the total collection was ruined, which included nearly 12000 books, journals and multimedia items. This unfortunate incident provided an unexpected opportunity to refurbish the building, upgrade the technology and have a critical look at the development, management and use of the collections.

The entrance to the library has been significantly improved, with the original entrance - a dark internal courtyard stair - replaced by a relocated double-height glazed entrance lobby. Overgrown plants and trees surrounding the library were removed and new low-height vegetation was planted in terraced garden beds in the eastern and southern courtyards, allowing an abundance of natural light to pour into the library.

The library boasts a variety of spaces that cater to the various styles and modes of learning becoming popular with students, from group study rooms equipped with cutting edge technology, to quiet study pods, and a collaborative learning space with writable table tops and screens in the lowest section of the building, affectionately termed ‘the cave’.

Artwork by a student from the Faculty of Architecture has been incorporated into the design, with several walls and glass panels covered with cosmic images from his Honours project about the one hundred year starship, 100YSS.

The newly refurbished EDFAA Library combines progressive education and training with traditional research facilities and the evolving needs of its clients in a confident, attractive and accommodating facility.