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Libraries are an invitation for discovery and information. Whether you need to check out a book, learn how to do your taxes, or take your children to a playdate, libraries have something for everyone. But in Bullitt County, a significant population increase placed a high demand on its existing main library branch and its services. So the library board decided to have a larger, centralized location built – a place to welcome its diverse patron population and accommodate its staff and collection.
Our challenge was to design an accessible building on a site surrounded by big box stores that hindered views of the distant hills. The site is in a heavily traveled commercial zone, with various business types servicing a broad range of socio-economic groups. The good news is that this context provides an economically neutral "neighborhood" for the library, encouraging usage by all community members.
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The scale of the one-story structure is welcoming to first-time visitors and less intimidating to those who previously had limited access to a public library. Because the site was so populated, it was essential to bring the outside world into the building’s interior. We developed a book walk around the building, a bio-swale that divides the parking lot, and four enclosed courtyards landscaped to represent the four elements: earth, wind, fire, and water, providing an oasis for reading, socializing, exploring, or unwinding.
The interior responds to this connection to nature through significant natural daylight, carpet tiles with a natural pattern, and bright green paint on exposed structural steel elements throughout the building. On the exterior, gray metal panels feature vibrant yellow accents that support the library's branding and cheerfully invite entry. The large, open-bay standard structural grid paired with a low stack height creates greater visibility, making discovery of the library's collection and programs equitable and accessible.
Essential public functions such as the maker space, conference room, and computer lab are situated along the central axis of the building and enclosed in glass for ease of wayfinding. Patrons encounter the impact of sustainability through the high-performance envelope, which features alternating south-facing decorative screens and multiple glass patterns to create varied light quality in the interior. Patrons also learn about the library’s conservation and performance efforts through an energy dashboard showcasing sustainable systems that include an acre of solar photovoltaic panels, a large battery storage system, and a geothermal well field.
The new main library serves as a civic destination that establishes BCPL as a leader in sustainability, civic pride, and community-building. It generates a sense of community and engagement for all who enter.
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