With one of the highest circulation counts in the system, the branch has been in critical need of additional space. A two-story former senior center is being re-designed to allow the branch to expand from 20,000 SF to 60,000 SF.
Key considerations for bringing natural light into the welcome area through a new atrium, the strategic use of color as a way-finding technique, moments of surprise and celebration throughout the space, and views to the outdoor landscape throughout the library provide the CML customer with the experience of being in a comfortable, light-filled, wooded retreat.
The DesignGroup team turned the challenges of the existing building into opportunities for invention and celebration; for example, reimagining existing structural cross-bracing into dynamic reading nooks in the Children’s, Tween and Adult areas or cutting a large opening in the existing floor to create a new light-well enhanced by a gracious grand stair to the second floor.
The library serves all age groups and includes a large computer lab, Homework Help Center, Ready for Kindergarten space, meeting and study rooms, multiple gathering areas and a café.