In this 2 part blog, we explore the most important developments in modern library furniture history. We interview Joe Agati, who has made furniture for over 1000 libraries in the last 30 years, and was a long-time speaker at American Library Association conferences, about the history and future of modern libraries.
1. Observe: We observe human behavior in public spaces. By watching what people do and how they react, it teaches us how to support their activities.
2. Collaborate: We’ve had the pleasure of working directly with top national research universities to design furniture to meet their patrons’ needs. Their requests, and our work together, inform our designs. We also research and interview experts in environmental psychology.
3. Experiment: After designing and building furniture, we put it in the space, see what works, and make adjustments.
4. Repeat: We are always evolving. We go back to libraries, often many years later, to see what is working over time, and what can be improved.
In the 1990’s, a giant shift happened in library furniture. A forward-thinking architect asked me to build restaurant-style booths for Warren-Newport Public Library’s teen section. Up until then, standard library furniture was comprised of tables-and-chairs, carrels and lounge chairs. Restaurants had long catered to the comfort of their customers by offering booths. However, in all the libraries I had been to, I had never seen a booth in a library! This seminal request would launch a revolution in library furniture…
Pictured (Top: Agati tables and chairs 1990’s. Bottom: The first Agati Library Booths installed at Warren-Newport Public Library, 1990’s.)
Unsure how this dramatic shift would play out, I visited the library and found the booths packed full of teenagers. The booths brought a communal feel to the space and encouraged group study. The booths actually provided more useful space than before, because people tend to spread out and leave empty seats when given the table-and-chairs option. However, they’re more likely to share personal space when offered a cozy booth.
Shortly after that, we were asked to build curved banquettes at Northwestern University. As we were installing them, students filled them up! They immediately sat down and got to work. Clearly, they responded to the coziness of a curved booth (who doesn’t!?). Students immediately got to work studying -both collaboratively in groups, and independently while sharing a table.
Up until now, we simply called the furniture “banquettes”. When we saw how effective the curved units were, and the endless possibilities, we decided to develop the Hampton Collection.
With more focus on improving user experience, we sought ways to further reduce stress and create comfort.
What’s the most sought-after seat in a restaurant? The corner booth! People are most comfortable when their backs are covered. We built surround panels to further encase users and provide even more comfort for learners. With partition booth seating, one can have the feeling of a corner booth, even in the middle of a room.
We specifically designed the raised panels to be high enough to provide a sense of private territory for users, yet low enough that librarians and passersby can see if someone is sitting there.
The back walls worked well when added to both straight and curved booths. Wood booth panels provided a sense of architectural stability and upholstered banquette partitions supplied acoustical support.
User experience is also greatly enhanced through proper ergonomics. From observing how people sit and work, I realized that, although booths have the cushioned appeal of a lounge seat, library booth seating had to function more like a pull-up chair, because users are working on the tabletop. I saw how people tend to pull their legs back when they sit at a pull up chair. Therefore, the front seat had to be angled so people could bring their legs back. This style is not typically seen in restaurant style booths.
The study style booth seat had to be higher, flatter and more vertical than a lounge chair, so one could sit back, and benefit from lumbar support, while working at a table.
Today there are still many library booths on the market that are too deep, low, and pitched back, causing users to hunch over their work. The Hampton features a shorter seat, taller back and a pitch 10 degrees more upright, making it ideal for wherever a work sit is preferable
Environmental Psychologists studied the effects of architectural structure in learning spaces. In Personal Space: The Behavioral Basis of Design, Richard Sommer shared findings on learners’ productivity as related to placements within a space. His writing on human sensitivity to spatial arrangements greatly informed my work. Studying behavior patterns within physical environments highlighted humans’ natural territorial and privacy needs.
Especially within the often open floor plans of institutional spaces, private spaces could be achieved with furniture panels to provide personal space for many people within larger spaces. These panels protect students from distraction and increase learner’s productivity.
With a sensitivity to humans’ behavior in public spaces, we looked at connections between spatial norms and functions. We looked for ways to help people orient themselves and navigate a space. Free to configure multiple shapes through attaching units, we could now mark out traffic patterns with furniture. The modular banquette partition units became more than just private seating, they became mini architecture for interior spaces. They divide spaces and provide well-structured paths, demarcating high/low traffic zones.
After observing the benefits of prospect and refuge that we created with the banquettes, we realized its importance. Feelings of refuge (when a person is protected from behind) promote concentration. Pairing refuge with prospect (unimpeded view over a distance) provides a sense of safety and control over one’s environment. Bill Browning has done extensive studies on this in the 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design. Check out our podcast with him here.
Feelings of prospect and refuge were vital to promoting optimal concentration and productivity. However, similarly to the problems that libraries encountered with large study tables, when one person was sitting at a banquette, a stranger would not share the table. We needed to find a solution for individual prospect and refuge that also saved space.
The Hampton Nook provides both the security of refuge and the empowerment of prospect, while taking up a small footprint. This small library study booth, with wood laminate panels to the floor, is built for one or two users. The rectilinear, mini-architecture easily fits into many floor plans, creating privacy for users, and walk ways for traffic. This mini banquette provides a one-person library booth (or a two-person library booth) for many students looking for private study. When looking for places to concentrate, humans still want to be around other people. Small study booths allow us to be alone, while still being connected to others in a public space.
How do you make a private study booth in a public space even more appealing to users? Curve the walls and wrap it in upholstery!
With the same ergonomically-correct chair that we use in all our Hampton Booths, we tightened the panel circumference and built a curved single-user study booth.
The most effective way to test the curved personal library booth, was to actually put it in libraries around the country. So we added casters and brought it to libraries around the country. Everyone loved it! Even when we were transporting it down the street, people had such reactions to it, that they commented on it, and wanted to sit in it! Our Pod Tour was such a fun success, you can still see more Pinterest photos here!.
As we explored earlier, people are most comfortable when their backs are covered. Unlike traditional carrels that leave students’ backs exposed, the Pod wraps users’ backs in a cocoon, yet one can still see up and out the side.
With durable engineering, we mounted the table to the curved panels, so the table doesn’t need separate legs. This gives plenty of space for one person, or two people to sit comfortably.
One-person and two-person study booths connect to form a variety of organic shapes that flow through a space. These softer pieces of architecture create inviting spaces within institutions. The fabric panels not only support acoustics, but also give designers fun opportunities with fabric selections in different colors and patterns. Some of my favorite combinations are bright patterns on the outside walls, and subdued colors on the inside.
From 1990 to today, AGATI has been immersed in developing solutions to support users in libraries. Human Centered Design and Furniture as Architecture have transformed modern libraries. From (tables-and-chairs and carrels) to (upholstered, curved mini-architecture that also provides a proper-sit) we love designing the libraries of today!
