Munday Library at St. Edward’s University
Austin, TX
Completed in September 2013, the Munday Library at St. Edward’s University reimagines the role of the academic library as a vibrant hub for collaborative learning and digital engagement. This 47,000-square-foot addition and renovation transforms a traditional library into a signature space that celebrates community, scholarship, and the evolving nature of education.
Positioned at the heart of the hilltop campus in Austin, the new library defies predictions of obsolescence by embracing a future-oriented model that merges technology with the human aspects of learning. At its core is the expansive main commons, a dynamic, light-filled space that functions as a catalyst for student engagement. Framed by a cadence of slender columns and suffused with daylight from clerestories and skylights, the space invites gathering, research, and collaboration. Acoustic treatments—such as a sound-absorbing roof deck and stretched fabric panels—ensure the commons remains comfortably active yet calm.
The commons is flanked by flexible classrooms that connect digitally to the university’s global programs in France and Chile, reinforcing St. Edward’s mission of international engagement. A single reference desk streamlines student support, offering access to research help, digital media services, and course reserves in one clear, central location. Overhead, an access flooring system distributes power infrastructure throughout the building, allowing the space to adapt with future needs.
Upstairs, the general collections and Writing and Media Center are organized around a visual bridge that overlooks the commons below. The library’s proportions and material palette subtly reference sacred reading rooms—evoking Trinity College Library in Dublin and the structural clarity of Labrouste’s Sainte-Geneviève Library—while remaining rooted in the architecture of Central Texas. A low-slung roofline and earthy materials echo the regional vernacular, blending academic purpose with local identity.
The transformation extends beyond the building’s envelope. The design reestablishes a forgotten grove of live oaks as part of the university’s beloved network of shady courtyards, creating a seamless connection between the library and the surrounding landscape. Framed views anchor the building in its site, while a new courtyard at the entrance provides outdoor study space and a place of respite. At night, the illuminated commons becomes a beacon of academic life, visible from paths across campus and reinforcing the library’s role as a center of intellectual and communal activity.
