Education

Temple University Charles Library

Client Goal: To create a space for collaboration and innovation.

View of open area from above. There are several tables and chairs set up in the space and there is a wall of books on the right side.

Lobby area of Temple library showing beautiful wooden architectural arches and details. High ceilings and concrete floors with some seating along walls

View of open cafe area showing wooden architectural arches and ceilings. Featured accent lighting hangs over clusters of tables and chairs with people.

Open office space with workstations - light woodgrain surfaces and gallery panels, white and red overheads. Exposed ceilings and concrete floors.

Open space with 120-degree workstations for students, including black mesh back task chairs. Exposed ceilings and concrete floors.

Open space with woodgrain tables and red and orange chairs. Concrete floors, wood accent wall in the background and a wall of books along the right.

Open space with a curved glass wall on left. Small settings of Eames Lounge chairs and tables are throughout the space.

Open room with full windows on all sides, wooden slat ceiling and rows of long collaborative tables and chairs.

View of the Temple library bookshelves and some collaborative tables and chairs. Bookshelf ends are painted in different shades of green.

Exterior of building. Grey building with all glass on top floors, interesting architectural arch on right side above entrance.

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Temple University, Charles Library | Philadelphia, PA

Temple University is a public research university which started as a night school in 1884. Temple has evolved into a powerhouse in higher education and a top-tier research institution. Temple is one of the the largest universities in Philadelphia, having about 40,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students enrolled.

Temple began working on the Charles Library in 2013 and opened the doors of the impressive space in 2019. The library is a place for students to read, think and facilitate new ideas. Temple needed the entire space to be furnished with welcoming, practical and beautiful furniture - everything from the tables and chairs, to conference rooms and classrooms, lounge areas and community spaces. The space was so well-designed and truly creates a community for students, faculty and staff.

With 4 floors and over 200,000 square feet, Charles Library is a state-of-the-art learning center with beautiful design and sophisticated technology. The library holds an impressive collection of books in the traditional bookshelves. However, they are able to increase usability of the open spaces with the help of "BookBot" - an automated storage and retrieval system located underneath the library itself. The space is a fantastic center for collaboration and was designed to physically bring people together.

Premier is extremely proud to be a part of such a inspiring space. We love spaces that push the boundaries of traditional design. Every part of this project was designed for today's students.