Monday, April 6, 2009

Osher Map Library, USM

The Osher Map Library at the University of Southern Maine appears to be complete from the outside. The inside is empty as of today but it looks like a great space. It is set to open this September, possibly to coincide with the start of the school year. The building is designed by Koetter Kim & Associates of Boston. From the library's website:

During the next few months the collections will be returned from offsite storage and installed in the new two story vault. New shelving, flat files and globe cases were funded by a Stabilizing Humanities Collections Grant of $466,009 from NEH. 
 
The new building is clad with etched aluminum panels depicting Buckminster Fuller's dymaxion projection of the world.



This is looking down Durham Street, Oakhurst Dairy is on the left, and the USM Portland campus is straight ahead and mostly to the right.

This is looking at the geographical center of campus. They recently made the parking lot a bit smaller and did some great landscaping on Bedford Street, but I strongly urge those responsible for this type of stuff to remove about 90% more of this parking lot and create some sort of 'college looking green area in the middle of campus.' The photo was taken from the behemoth parking garage that was completed a few years ago and there is enough space for all students and staff in this garage. 


1 comment:

  1. I like your idea of creating a green where there is now the ugly parking lot, however, having gone to USM for several years, I can tell you that the current amount of parking, between this lot and the garage, are way inadequate.

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