Theater,
Oceanside Library

The culmination of a multi-year library renovation project to better serve the Oceanside community

The Oceanside Library has served as a cornerstone of the local community for decades, evolving into a dynamic and technologically rich center that serves the community’s research, informational, educational, social and cultural needs. The newly renovated 48,000-square-foot facility, designed by MDA Designgroup and H2M, emphasizes sustainability and universal design while incorporating natural light and biophilic design principles. It  embraces a user-centric approach which provides for individual tasks, multi-tasking and collaboration alike. The open sightlines, transparency and ample natural light throughout the facility serve to dissolve barriers and foster connections between people, amplifying a sense of community togetherness. The reimagined library is split up into diverse zones, including a café, Tech Hub, podcast studio, STEM workshop, Demonstration Kitchen and Craft area, not to mention a state-of-the-art theater, truly catering to the varied needs of over 25,000 registered cardholders and the community writ large.

Designing a 165-seat theater with seating that accommodates diverse programming needs while complementing the library’s overall design aesthetic

For the theater, project architects and planners MDA Designgroup worked with theater planning consultants Theater Projects to design a space meeting sightline, comfort, and accessibility requirements, and incorporating the clean lines, light woods, and neutral tones of the entire facility. The new theater showcases local arts and provide the community with a vital outlet to encourage and celebrate diverse and vibrant performances, lectures, screenings and other events, supporting the multi-use approach adopted in each of the Library’s zones.

Kotobuki’s design and comfort attracted Elisabeth Martin, FAIA, principal of MDA Designgroup, to choose the modern and sculptural form of Kotobuki’s theater seating after researching a wide range of theater seating products. A showroom visit confirmed that Kotobuki’s Crescendo TS-11 seating met their design standards and offered superior comfort. 

The Crescendo features angled backrests that conform to an individual’s body while providing excellent support, aided by a cushioning system based on ergonomics, with a molded urethane and serpentine spring combination offering even pressure distribution and resistance to deformation. The Spacia feature built into Kotobuki seating tapers the thickness of the seat towards the backs of the knees. This makes it easier to bend the legs underneath when getting in and out of the seat, while offering greater legroom to aid visibility and allowing others to easily pass in front. The Crescendo also comes in different seat widths and offers the option for cut-away arms that provide better accessibility in select locations. These features enabled MDA Designgroup, H2M, and Theater Projects to develop a theater layout boasting optimal visibility, comfort and accessibility. The Oceanside theater integrated Kotobuki’s beech mottled wood and cosmic blue upholstered theater fabric to complement the wood paneling and accent colors surrounding the theater space.

Facility Overview

Since first opening its doors in 1938, the Oceanside library has served as a hub of learning, creativity, and engagement, meeting the needs of the local community for nearly a century. Having undergone multiple extensions and renovations over the years to adapt to its ever-changing role, the Oceanside Library’s latest large-scale renovations and expansion were its most ambitious to date — transforming the institution into a modern, state-of-the-art facility. The way that the white oak walls of the new theater are complemented by its theater seating reinforces the Library’s biophilic design philosophy. The success is evidenced by the surge in use; since its Grand Opening attended by over 2,700 people in October 2024, the library has hosted record breaking attendance with over 1,000 visitors daily.　

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