{"id":8083,"date":"2026-05-13T17:00:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T17:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/angesfinanciers.org\/?p=8083"},"modified":"2026-05-15T15:12:53","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T15:12:53","slug":"miller-hull-renovates-brutalist-university-library-in-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/angesfinanciers.org\/index.php\/2026\/05\/13\/miller-hull-renovates-brutalist-university-library-in-california\/","title":{"rendered":"Miller Hull renovates brutalist university library in California"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Kennedy<\/div>\n

The Miller Hull Partnership<\/a> has completed a renovation<\/a> of a library<\/a> at a university in San Luis Obispo, California<\/a>, working to restore the original design intent of the brutalist building.<\/span><\/p>\n

The updated Kennedy Library<\/a> at California Polytechnic State University<\/a> (Cal Poly SLO) reopened in September 2025, repairing a 1977 design by Robert Marquis, which centred around a light-filled courtyard with exterior concrete fins that shaded the interior.<\/p>\n

\"Kennedy
The Miller Hull Partnership has updated the Kennedy Library in California<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Over time, piecemeal renovations had divided up the interior with partitions that blocked views and daylight. The renovation reopened sightlines to the exterior, clarified wayfinding and celebrated the school’s “Learn by Doing” ethos.<\/p>\n

The Miller Hull Partnership<\/a>, which is based in Seattle and San Diego, collaborated with contractor Hensel Phelps<\/a> on the 200,000-square-foot (4.6-acre) project that transformed the heavy structure into a collaborative hub.<\/p>\n

\"Kennedy
The library was originally built in 1977<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Every design move was focused on the student experience,” Miller Hull Parternship principal Danielle Buttacavoli told Dezeen, explaining that the project extended the building’s original design intent rather than departing from it.<\/p>\n

On the exterior, the team replaced all of the exterior glazing with high-performance insulated glass and modified the roof to accommodate future photovoltaic installation.<\/p>\n

“These changes work with the retained exterior shade fins to reduce solar heat gain and improve the building’s thermal performance,” the studio said.<\/p>\n

\"Courtyard
The building wraps a central courtyard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the ground floor, the team removed the large, institutional check-out desk and low ceiling, relocated the cafe to a more prominent corner near the main entrance and added new exhibition and gallery spaces.<\/p>\n

A new staircase that looks out to the courtyard serves as a focal point.<\/p>\n

\"Kennedy
A new glass-clad staircase reorients the circulation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The staircase replaces the existing vertical circulation that deposited students in different locations on each floor and didn’t meet seismic, egress or accessibility standards. Now the steel and glass fixture is an illuminated core of movement that connects all five levels.<\/p>\n

In removing internal partitions, the team re-established a clear east-west circulation thoroughfare on every floor, building consistency for services and support spaces.<\/p>\n