Located in southwest Louisville, this new regional library serves as a template for two future regional libraries in terms of programmatic elements and building systems. The construction employs a standardized structural steel frame, similar to those used in big box retail stores. The library design focuses on creatively using common materials. Standardized components—including modular masonry, window systems, and raised flooring—form a low maintenance, highly flexible public place. Through scale and a glowing beacon bay, the building establishes a presence in a fragmented environment of scattered building types along a highway. The open, transparent interior offers inviting spaces for different generations of people to experience and clear site lines for service efficiency and enhanced interactions between library staff and customers.
AIA Kentucky Honor Award
Client
Louisville Free Public Library
Location
Louisville, KY
Project Type
Library | Cultural Space | Educational Environment | Government Facility
Size
40,000 SF
Certifications
Certified LEED-NC v.3 Gold
Roles
MSR Design & JRA Architects | Architects
Status
Complete
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“Both the client and design team should be commended and celebrated for creating an ambitious project that has established a memorable identity for a community library. The project has created a sense of place for reading, sitting, and simply being in that connective moment between architecture and landscape.”
—AIA Kentucky Honor Awards Jury
Ten feet of glass at the base of the building open the views to activities inside, highlighting the children’s area at the front door.
Folding metal panels help break the scale of the building down as a visitor approaches by subtly reflecting light and changing color.
Further exterior detailing is achieved with articulated reinforced concrete, satin stainless steel cladding, and painted gypsum soffits
