College and Research Libraries WARREN J. HAAS The Role of the Building Consultant Institutions are coming increasingly to recognize the value of retain- ing outside library competence in a consultative capacity during the planning and construction of new library buildings. This paper ex- plains the role of such consultants during five stages of building de- velopment: (1) the initial program; (2) program development; (3) early design; (4) final design; and (5) working drawings and specifi- cations. THE STORY IS TOLD of the woodpecker who "9ecame bored with the routines of his life and embarked on a cross-country trip to a distant point and a change of scene. After flying many miles, the bird was forced by an approaching storm to land in a tall oak. True to the instincts of his kind, he took a tentative tap at the tree just as a bolt of lightning split the trunk full-length. After recovering his composure, the bird surveyed the dam- age and was awed by what he saw. "Isn't it amazing," he said to himself, "what an ordinary woodpecker can ac- complish once he gets away from home." This story has a message for both building consultants and the colleges and universities that employ them. For the institutions involved, it demonstrates that proper timing in the matter of in- volving a consultant is essential if ordi- nary efforts are to produce exceptional results. For the consultant, the story warns that artificially induced delusions . of grandeur tend to push the limits of confidence beyond the realities of com- petence. But these two observations are by no Mr. Haas is Director of Libraries in the University of Pennsylvania. This paper was copyrighted in 1968 by the Society for College and University Planning and is reprinted from its Quarterly by permission. means the only ones that might be made concerning consultants in the program- ming and design of academic buildings. The comments that follow explore the relationship between the consultant and the employing institution and suggest a few guidelines for making that relation- ship fully effective. While library plan- ning experience provides the basis for this decision, the points made are likely to be generally pertinent to other areas as well. At the outset, it should be noted that the role of the consultant changes with each assignment. The degree of involve- ment is governed by institutional needs and policy, and since these are bound to vary, it follows that there is no fixed pattern governing the relationship be- tween a college or university and its consultant. In an effort to identify most of the areas in which a consultant might participate, five distinct stages in the planning process .are considered and the nature of the contributions a consultant might be expected to make in each phase is suggested. 1. THE INITIAL PROGRAM The importance of timing has already been noted. In general, the earlier a con- sultant is involved, the better will be the results. The fundamental thinking that serves as a basis for the initial pro- /365 366 I College & Research Libraries • July 1969 gram document on a new library build- ing should reflect conclusions of those re- sponsible for long-range campus plan- ning, senior institutional administrators, and the library. The product of this planning phase might be a simple state- ment of need (for example, we need a new one million volume library with two thousand seats) arrived at on the evi- dence of a few obvious facts. At the other extreme, the initial program might be a complex document outlining the in- stitution's projected educational activi- ties and pedagogical techniques to be employed, along with a detailed de- scription of the library operations pro- jected to support those activities. In established colleges and universi- ties, a consultant is often not involved in the conversation and studies that lead to the recommendations incorporated in the initial program, simply because this work is a part of continuing institutional planning activity. For this very reason, it is important that the consultant review the conclusions to verify that they are in fact as valid when viewed from the out- side as they seem to those within. Be- cause the prescription for action and the supporting philosophy of this initial pro- gram are in a real sense the foundation from which the detailed program and ultimately the building itself rises, their importance should not be underestimat- ed. The consultant needs to satisfy him- self that the conclusions incorporate the best of all possible options, or at least that all possible options were consid- ered. This requires an intensive effort on the part of the consultant to gain his- torical perspective as well as to under- stand the future objectives of the insti- tution. In large universities especially, the consultant has an obligation to verify that any projected building reflects the existence of and is consistent with a long- range program for the development of library service. More and more, it is im- portant to assess regional needs, as dis- tinct from strictly intermil needs, in pro- gramming and planning library facilities, simply because many aspects of library and information services are by their very nature best viewed regionally rath- er than parochially. While the role of the consultant rela- tive to the initial program is most often that of a reviewer, there are many in- stances in which he is in fact a partici- pant in, and at times even primarily re- sponsible for, program development. In the case of new colleges, and colleges undergoing dramatic change, a library consultant often finds himself the most experienced person in the planning group and heavily involved in policy formulation. It is critically important in such cases that the consultant avoid be- ing drawn into the decision-making proc- ess; this is not properly his role. He must concentrate instead on providing facts and establishing options for those who are responsible. In these circumstances especially, the consultant needs to serve in a kind of educational capacity to pro- vide the institutional participants with pertinent facts and examples of alterna- tives, as well as an understanding of the implications of different courses of ac- tion. Whether reviewing initial program recommendations made prior to his in- volvement or participating in the basic planning process, the objective is the same-to assure that the basis for action is sound when viewed in the light of both educational objectives and library management. In effect, an acceptable initial program for a library building is evidence of a proper and realistic insti- tutional commitment to library support. 2. PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT If the initial program is· the place for formulation of broad elements of basic policy, the process of program develop- ment and refinement is one requiring meticulous attention to an infinite num- ber of details. If the breadth and depth of the consultant's wisdom is tested in the first case, his technical know ledge gained from practical building experi- ence is of paramount importance here. In many instances, the detailed program is developed in the institution, with the consultant providing substantial assist- ance at all stages of the work. Often, the architect for a building is engaged be- fore the program is completed, opening the way for participation by three parties (institutional representatives, ar- chitects, and the consultant) in final pro- gram formulation. Inclusion of the archi- tects as a new voice in the final stages of progra:n development can stimulate the planners to refine carefully and evaluate the elements of the program and often can promote inclusion of information of importance to the architect that would otherwise be omitted. The architects, by their early participation, come to com- prehend more quickly the nature of their assignment. The consultant can often play an important role in the early stages of the dialogue between architects and the institutional planning team by retain- ing his "third party" isolation with the purpose of seeing to it that "architectural considerations" do not begin to dominate educational objectives before the pro- gram itself is finally developed. The consultant needs to verify that terms used in the program are defined with precision; that standards used in relating specified capacities (for studies, book storage, staff space, etc. ) to actual areas are valid; that all buildings and operating functions are enumerated and their relationships described; that antici- pated traffic volumes and patterns are established; that qualitative require- ments for building components as well as for environmental elements are clear- ly established; that such considerations as ease of maintenance and housekeep- ing are precisely treated; and, where ap- propriate, that provisions ar.e made for building expansion. In the case of spe- cialized buildings like libraries, a wide range of distinctive equipment must of- Role of Building Consultant I 367 ten be included as part of the program, and the consultant's knowledge of many installations is often a valuable resource in this aspect of program formulation. From the above, it is evident that the role of a consultant in the program de- velopment stage has several aspects. He is a source of up-to-date facts; he can help both his institutional employers and the architects, if they are involved, to learn about alternate solutions by direct- ing them to existing buildings or written material that bear on the problem at hand; and he can often help maintain effective communication among the par- ties involved, both within the institution and between the institution and the ar- chitectural firm. 3. EARLY DESIGN Program refinement and preliminary design work often overlap in time. In a sense, the early design phase is not un- like the initial period of program prep- aration, in that one ends in the formu- lation of the governing educational and operating philosophy and the other culminates in · the form of the architec- tural solution. With this phase, principal responsibility shifts from the institutional planners to the .architect. The consult- ant's role also changes. Given reasonable success by the architect in arriving quite quickly at a solution acceptable to the client, the consultant might be involved only to the extent of verifying for the col- lege or university concerned that the proposed design is compatible with pro- gram specifications, and at the same time provides the flexibility .and the ver- satility required to meet the unknown needs of the future. Generally, it is unwise for the consult- ant to assume any more than a propor- tionate share of the responsibility for judging design suggestions from the point of view of aesthetics. It is equally unwise in most cases for the consultant to prepare anything more than schematic layouts of major spaces because he runs 368 I College & Research Libraries • July 1969 the risk of dampening architectural imagination and thus producing less than optimal solutions to the problems in- volved. Architects are not normally in- terested in plans from consultants' desks. There are times, however, when an architect has difficulty in finding a build- ing form that provides a space configura- tion consistent with program require- ments and institutional criteria. In such situations, the institution can, and often does, turn to its consultant for advice on how to resolve the problem. It is here especially that a consultant's experience and demonstrated ability are of prime importance, for finding and promoting acceptance for the right course of ac- tion often hinges on his statesmanship as well as his architectural instincts. 4. FINAL DESIGN Assuming the consultant has done his work well in previous stages of the proj- ect, his role towards the end of the peri- od of final design is to verify for his em- ployer that the design reflects the gen- eral objectives as well as the details of the program. The review process, whether done at one time or in phases over an extended period, is best carried out in close con- sultation with the responsible people. It is meticulous work, and often difficult. Give and take on all sides is required, since graphic interpretation of prose spe- cifications is as much an art as it is a science. Further, the "art" in architec- ture and the requirements of the struc- tural approach chosen both carry their own catalog of restraints that must be comfortable with program requirements, but not obviously subservient to them. In brief, the consultant must help the institution verify that the design in fact reflects the program, even though at times the form of the recommended ar- chitectural solution might be something unpredicted and perhaps even unpre- dictable. 5. WoRKING DRAWINGS AND SPECIFICATIONS In most cases, the consultant is no longer involved once this phase of a project is reached. On occasion, however, he is asked to review specific details to verify that certain program elements have been properly incorporated. Exam- ples include specifications and installa- tion details for technical equipment, as well as those items that indicate proper attention has been paid program admo- nitions for ease of maintenance and the quality of staff and user environment (for example, the characteristics of win- dow glass specified, security provisions, signs and directional aids, etc. ) . These notes suggest the possible range of the consultant's role. Ideally, he adds to the talent devoted to a project. He is a balance wheel working to resolve di- vergent views represented within the in- stitution employing him, not by seeking compromise solutions, but by helping es- tablish which is the best solution and developing support for it. He is a source of facts in his own special area of ex- pertise, but not an oracle either in or outside of that field. Most important, per- haps, he is a kind of mirror helping col- lege and university planners see their institution in a somewhat different light, .amplified and focused specifically on the problem at hand. The consultant does not make decisions, but he can help, and at times force, the decision-making proc- ess. ••