The program and design were developed through an inclusive process that brought together librarians, community members, and the LWC and G4 design teams to collaboratively envision new services, resources, and architecture. The expanded library provides a rich new variety of vibrant, active spaces for people consisting of exhibition, conference, crafts, maker, and performance spaces including both a 200-seat theater with portable seating and a 300-seat forum with both fixed and portable seating. The project also enhances access to traditional library services, providing a highly browsable collection as well as quiet spaces for reading and reflection in cozy corners overlooking the city.

The project’s massing maximizes passive sustainability strategies. A dramatic sloping roof connects new and old and unifies the building with a sweeping line across the park façade; overhang design was calculated to reduce solar gain during hot summer months while allowing daylight and natural heating during the winter while avoiding glare. The large skylight along the length of the atrium provides significant sunlight throughout the day, combined with the atrium itself which widens as it rises, flooding the interior with controlled natural light.

Surrounding the building, a system of didactic pocket parks, vegetated balconies, an exterior children’s garden, and a multi-floor glass curtain wall overlooking Cooper Park provide a range of opportunities for patrons to rediscover both their urban and natural surroundings.