The Webb Schools are embarking on a $1 million reimagination of the 11,000-square-foot W. Russell Fawcett Library to create flexible learning spaces, a digital media innovation lab and a digital gallery, and add innovation tools to foster collaboration and creativity.

Built in 1987, Fawcett Library is the academic hub of Webb.

The project was made possible by a $1 million donation from the Charles Huang Foundation received during Webb’s Centennial Celebration in October. A wing of the building will be named the Charles Huang Innovation Wing in recognition of the significant gift.

“The Charles Huang Innovation Wing will enable our students to experience the benefits of a state-of-the-art center for unbounded thinking and learning, with flexible new learning spaces, digital technology and experiential learning resources,” Head of Schools Taylor B. Stockdale said.

“It will be a place to collaborate, to create and to innovate with faculty and industry leaders. We are deeply grateful and appreciative of Dr. Charles Huang and the Charles Huang Foundation for making this substantial donation to Webb.”

Dr. Huang is the founder and chair of Pasaca Capital Inc., a California-based multi-billion-dollar evergreen fund with global portfolio companies in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

In summer 2022, Fawcett Library began a preliminary update to reconfigure the main library space. New furniture solutions are being added to maximize comfort, collaboration and access to resources, funded by a generous gift from Xue Ping Xu and Bei Xu, parents of two Webb students.

Webb’s vision for the library is to create a comfortable and flexible space that encourages all styles of learning and collaboration, including the Charles Huang Innovation Wing. The effort encompasses small study spaces and tools to facilitate gatherings, presentations and performances. The project is currently in the conceptual design phase. Webb hopes to begin construction in summer 2023.