Indian Creek Library
The Indian Creek Library transforms an abandoned grocery store into a new, 21st century library and community event space. Through a collaborative process, the design team developed an architectural program and vision that seamlessly interspersed traditional library offerings with cutting-edge community gathering spaces including a maker space, teen zone, gaming theater, and storytime garden. This integrated process of programming and design created a landmark vision for the 47,000 square foot facility as a true “destination library.” Additionally, the library responds to the client’s goals of increased flexibility, community engagement, and connection to nature.
Architecturally, the design team peeled away the entire west façade of the introverted store, strategically inserting skylights, windows, and integrated indoor/outdoor courtyards. The new façade features expansive glass protected by a striking sunshade composed of hundreds of custom-folded, aluminum and stainless steel panels, and integrated lighting; the sunshade’s design was inspired by the Indian Creek Trail that passes by the site. Upon entry, the front quarter of the library is composed of flexible community spaces and meeting rooms, with a vendor-operated café serving as an anchor.
Further into the library, community gathering spaces are linked by a dynamic “marketplace” with new and popular materials and technology, and provide a wide-range of community amenities, transitioning from intergenerational spaces such as meeting rooms and maker spaces, to more age-specific spaces such as gaming and storytime as one moves deeper into the library. These spaces open out to a new courtyard and storytime garden to the north, linking indoor and outdoor activities to a new community park. This flow from parking lot to library to park completes the transformation of this site from a place-less suburban landscape into a library rooted in both its culture and ecological context.