Sumner Students Design New Library Using Legos

From the Sumner Pierce County Library:

January 17 2020

Rebuilding the Sumner Library sparked an innovative idea from the Clever Creators FIRST Lego League team: shipping containers. The team found the area’s long port history a bonus for generating a design reusing existing materials.

They started by researching the use of shipping containers in construction, looked over the plans of the Pierce County Library System and City of Sumner for the new building, read through the survey results outlining the concerns of the citizens, and put together an idea that includes it all. “Working through the process of generating an entire plan was a lot of work. It is great to see the final product,” says team member Evan Young.

Their design is comprised of eight 40’ by 40’ by 16’ shipping container cubes that represent sections of the library, when stacked creates a three story modularly designed building. Team member Alexis Brook outlines, “I learned a lot about construction with shipping containers. I think it's a great new concept!” The team’s overall design accommodates over 27,000 sq. ft. interior space and a footprint of about 0.67 acres, fitting well within the plot of land the city has already purchased.

The students used their background in brick construction to build a mostly scale model of each room including: adults, gatherings, a computer lab, children, pets, a café, and two cubes devoted to a new library cataloging system: the robotic book storage and retrieval system, RBSRS for short.

A new robot? The team researched the many different types of robots proposed or in use in libraries today. Keeping the cost-benefit in mind, they settled on a RBSRS. Team member Max Broek says, “I enjoyed learning about how robots can be used today to benefit people.”

“The system would combine narrowed shelves, a fast-robotic unit, and leverage a computerized resource placement system to increase the library’s book storage to increase space for community areas,” outlines team member Gavin Young. The robotic system produces one big benefit: librarian time. Utilizing automation of catalog resources allows librarians to spend more time with patrons and on value added programs.

The final and perhaps most important aspect of the project is the environmental benefits of reusing shipping containers. Team member Monica Broek states, “Using shipping containers can make construction more affordable and by reusing them we can help our environment.” In fact, the team found that millions of shipping containers are available on the market today. Some end up in the ocean and others are too expensive to return to their port of origin and remain in shipping yards. “Reusing idle materials, rather than sourcing new materials, will reduce waste,” team member Evan Young states.

The team will present their innovative idea at the FIRST Lego League semi-finals this weekend.

This press release was produced by the Sumner Pierce County Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.