Quackenbush Architects receive IIDA Carolinas Design Award

Quackenbush Architects + Planners received a 2022 Designworks honorable mention from the Carolinas Chapter of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) for its interior design of the Rosewood Elementary School Library Addition in Richland County School District One.

First constructed in the 1930s, Rosewood Elementary School had outgrown its previous library and sought a new library with innovative spaces to support a broader range of individual and collaborative activities.

The IIDA noted that Quackenbush’s creative design for Rosewood Elementary’s library fosters learning and academic success through its collaborative, customized, flexible and comfortable spaces—and with an infrastructure that supports wired and wireless learning technology.

The 4,480-square-foot addition includes a reading room with flexible furniture, soft seating, conferencing and workroom/maker space, and associated office and storage support. The design of the addition is a flexible, daylight-filled space that can accommodate the ever-changing needs of students and faculty. Rather than simply being a place to store books, the new library is a place focused on gathering, collaborating and inspiring.

The design encourages spontaneous, enabled learning, and the reading room is now organized into zones that support varying group sizes and activities—from individual study and one-on-one coaching or small group collaboration, to multi-class assembly.

The new addition also greatly optimizes the space with expansive daylighting, including outdoor views, enhanced acoustics and improved indoor air quality. A soothing color-palette of blues, greens and neutrals promotes calm and contemplation

Lydia Ureda, IIDA, NCIDQ, Quackenbush interior designer, said the firm took great care to meet the library’s desire for spaces that both stimulate children’s imaginations and that are scaled just for them. “We used colors inspired by nature and we created a cozy ‘bird nest’ between two curving bookshelves,” she said. The new space includes a dramatic sculpture of birds in flight ascending into the lightwell.

The IIDA’s Designworks annual awards are the IIDA’s highest recognition of excellence in interior design, recognizing designers who exemplify vision, creativity and design innovation.

“We’re thrilled and honored to receive this recognition for design excellence from the Carolinas Chapter of the International Interior Design Association,” said Q+ President Doug Quackenbush, AIA LEED AP. “We’re also proud to work with our educators to create designs that serve them and their students well.”