Kennesaw State University, Sturgis Library

Kennesaw State University commissioned McMillan Pazdan Smith to renovate the Sturgis Learning Commons and Library on their main campus to create a new entrance addressing the heart of campus, replace the entire building’s mechanical system, and create an information and commons area on the two lower levels of the five-story facility.

Originally designed in 1981 for a much smaller student body, the library now serves a campus community of over 25,000 students, representing Georgia’s third largest university, but it lacked current technology, infrastructure, and student collaboration spaces. In order to address the library’s shortcomings, McMillan Pazdan Smith programmed the facility through a series of interviews with library faculty, staff, related university departments, and students to define the needed project components and identify changes to support the evolving academic needs of the students and faculty.

Additionally, our team developed a phased implementation strategy to allow the library to remain in operation throughout the renovation process and replacement of the entire mechanical system.