“Procession: Ascent” and “Scale: Respect & Experimentation” are also Johnson Principle highlighted in the design team’s research. Ascent is about celebrated vertical circulation. Johnson said, “But really, the atrium is not an atrium: it’s the center of nine squares. It’s the idea of communication, like McKim’s. My atrium isn’t as nice as his. Well, his is a court. Mine isn’t a court or even an atrium; it’s too small. It’s a stairwell. But it’s still an orientation point.” He also said, “I don’t remember where the elevators are hidden, but they’re meant to be hard to find; that way you’re compelled to take the stairs.”

Respect and Experimentation are about past and future. Johnson said, “My principle was that the cornice line is sacred; the material is sacred…we have to do modern scale…out of keeping… as long as it doesn’t insult McKim.”

The source for these quotes is the book Philip Johnson: The Architect in His Own Words.

Through careful analysis of  Philip Johnson’s words — he wrote and spoke extensively about his work — the William Rawn Associates architecture team has developed a process to ensure a respectful intervention that upholds the character and principles of Johnson’s original design.

Another Johnsonian Principle is “Procession: Moment of Arrival.”  Here’s what Philip Johnson had to say about its application at the Central Library in Copley Square: “We never did get the entrance straight. The requirements for security changed exactly at that moment, and I had none of those details as part of my design…”

One of the Johnsonian Principles highlighted in the design team’s research on architect Philip Johnson is “Procession: Anticipation.” Below are some things that Mr. Johnson said about his own work. A key source for many of these quotes is the book Philip Johnson: The Architect in His Own Words.

• “(The processional is) how space unfolds from the moment I catch a glimpse of the building until with my feet I have approached, entered, and arrived at my goal.”
• “In the original design there were no windows. That’s a bit grim.”
• “The board. They hated (the first design). It looked too much like an armory. You know, the medieval feel. My first design was more medieval, you see.”
• We had heard that those granite slabs in front of the windows on the first floor were designed as a reflection of the times, student unrest, you know. Is that true?
  “No, I just didn’t see any sense reading a book looking at automobiles. But I wanted windows there.”

Part of the master planning process included detailed research by the design team on Philip Johnson, the architect. Through this research, including detailed readings of what Philip Johnson wrote and said about his own work, William Rawn Associates Architects highlighted five Johnsonian Principles and their application at the BPL’s Central Library in Copley Square.

The principles are:

1. Procession: Anticipation – sense of event from exterior
2. Procession: Moment of Arrival – coherent experience from the front door
3. Procession: Ascent – celebrated vertical circulation
4. Scale: Respect and Experimentation – past and future
5. Structure and Rationality – structural clarity in planning.

In future posts, we’ll share additional details on some of these principles, which have been featured in discussions and presentations about the Johnson Building Improvement Project.

The following summary of community and staff engagement related to the Johnson Building Improvement Project was shared at the most recent meeting of the BPL Board of Trustees. We refer to it as our “Community & Staff Engagement Top 10.”

1. Compass blog (www.bpl.org/compass). Since September 2012, the Compass blog has been the sharing location for information on BPL’s major projects and, since November 2012, the place for sharing information specifically on the Johnson Building Improvement Project. Comments have been collected directly from the blog and also via the dedicated email address compass@bpl.org.
2. Community Advisory Committee meetings, open to the public. Meeting dates: November 14, 2012; January 10, February 26, March 13, April 8, and June 6, 2013.
3. Compass roundtable in January 2013 on the community gathering principle. Held at the Central Library in Copley Square and introduced the Johnson project. Eighteen (18) people attended.
4. eNews. 130,000 subscribers. Compass blog and project updates highlighted in January, February, March, and June 2013.
5. Compass blog, roundtables, and major projects regularly highlighted via social media.
6. Staff survey throughout January 2013. 189 survey responses collected.
7. Two staff roundtables in January 2013 and February 2013. Fifty-seven (57) staff members participated in the roundtables. Four in-person staff updates in May 2013. One hundred eleven (111) staff members attended.
8. Interactive display and public program in Johnson Building during April to collect comments and suggestions for improvements. More than 375 comments collected. Public program on April 10 featured history of building and of the architect Philip Johnson.
9. Regular coverage in weekly staff newsletter, the BPL Weekly, and dedicated project page on staff intranet.
10. Discussion of project at BPL Board of Trustee meetings, open to the public, since March 2012.

Plus project meetings of library staff; department meetings of library staff; meetings with union leadership; meetings with Boston Public Library Foundation, Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, and Associates of the Boston Public Library; meetings of library staff with design and consulting teams, City of Boston Property and Construction Management Department, Boston Landmarks Commission representatives, and Boston Redevelopment Authority; meeting with the Back Bay Association. In addition, the William Rawn Associates Architects team has met with representatives of the local design community and area historical societies.

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