Miller Hull renovates brutalist university library in California

The Miller Hull Partnership has completed a renovation of a library at a university in San Luis Obispo, California, working to restore the original design intent of the brutalist building.

The updated Kennedy Library at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly SLO) reopened in September 2025, repairing a 1977 design by Robert Marquis, which centred around a light-filled courtyard with exterior concrete fins that shaded the interior.

Over time, piecemeal renovations had divided up the interior with partitions that blocked views and daylight. The renovation reopened sightlines to the exterior, clarified wayfinding and celebrated the school's "Learn by Doing" ethos.

The Miller Hull Partnership, which is based in Seattle and San Diego, collaborated with contractor Hensel Phelps on the 200,000-square-foot (4.6-acre) project that transformed the heavy structure into a collaborative hub.

"Every design move was focused on the student experience," Miller Hull Parternship principal Danielle Buttacavoli told Dezeen, explaining that the project extended the building's original design intent rather than departing from it.

On the exterior, the team replaced all of the exterior glazing with high-performance insulated glass and modified the roof to accommodate future photovoltaic installation.

"These changes work with the retained exterior shade fins to reduce solar heat gain and improve the building's thermal performance," the studio said.

On the ground floor, the team removed the large, institutional check-out desk and low ceiling, relocated the cafe to a more prominent corner near the main entrance and added new exhibition and gallery spaces.

A new staircase that looks out to the courtyard serves as a focal point.

The staircase replaces the existing vertical circulation that deposited students in different locations on each floor and didn't meet seismic, egress or accessibility standards. Now the steel and glass fixture is an illuminated core of movement that connects all five levels.

In removing internal partitions, the team re-established a clear east-west circulation thoroughfare on every floor, building consistency for services and support spaces.

"This was a direct response to student feedback," Buttacavoli explained.

"Before the renovation, the library was difficult to navigate, with services scattered across each floor and no clear sense of where to go. The new layout anchors key service points along the primary pathway on each level, so that wayfinding is consistent and predictable."

Taking cues from the original building design, the team has installed a large-format carpet on the ground floor that mirrors the geometry of the concrete waffle slab overhead.

Other finishes integrate colours of the San Luis Obispo landscape with touches of green and wood accents in addition to concrete and black metal.

"The most important lesson from the Kennedy Library is the value of centering student input from the start as a genuine design driver," Buttacavoli said.

"Student voices helped surface the real priorities: thermal comfort, expanded study space, all-gender restrooms on every floor, clear wayfinding, a welcoming entry."

Working within a fixed budget, the team prioritised scope where it would have the greatest impact on life safety and student experience – new mechanical systems, lighting, fire alarm and sprinkler systems and accessibility features – while reusing what they could, such furniture on the upper floors.

The improvements help the library meet LEED Gold certification and reduce energy consumption by 30 per cent, according to the studio.

Recently, the Miller Hull Partnership completed a "levitating" cabin in Washington, surrounded the U.S. consulate in Guadalajara with a massive canopy and wrapped a University of Washington building in a textured metal skin.

The photography is by Lara Swimmer.

Project credits:

Client: Cal Poly
Architecture, interiors, sustainability: The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP
Design-build contractor: Hensel Phelps
Structural engineer: Buehler Engineering
Electrical trade partner: Howe Electric
Mechanical trade partner: FM Booth
Fire protection trade partner: Transbay Fire Protection
Accessibility: Access Compliance Consultants
Elevator: Syska Hennessy Group
FP life safety code analysis: Woden Fire
Energy modeling: Glumac
Waterproofing: RDH
Landscape: Oasis Associates
Civil: Garing, Taylor and Associates
Signage: Mayer/Reed
Acoustics: Colin Gordon Associates

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