Designed by Snøhetta in collaboration with Clark Nexsen, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s new Main Library is a 115,000-sf building that will go beyond being just a library to serve as a public commons.
The technologically-advanced, five-story library’s design draws on the concept of the ridgeline literally and figuratively as it generates views in a variety of directions and acts as a convergence point for community and culture. A glowing, translucent prow cantilevers out over the sidewalk, opening the building up to the street.
At street level, the facade is glazed in a transparent band of glass that wraps the tapered corner to allow views deep into the library, putting the activity within on display. The main entry is framed by a copper soffit and has the potential to be connected to the historic McGlohon Theatre and Duke Energy Theater next door to form a new civic space. The sloped front facade is clad in ceramic panels and resembles a patterned textile to modulate light conditions within.
Inside the building a large atrium opens up to the top floor for easy wayfinding. A spiraling wooden stair leads up to the four floors above with each level offering unique views of the surrounding city via large windows and outdoor terrace spaces.
Each level is designed with a specific thematic focus:
Lower Level: houses a pre-function and event space
Level 1: includes the two main entrances as well as a café entrance, lobby, café, theater area, reading zones, and self-service checkpoints.
Level 2: features the welcome and orientation center for new and recent Mecklenburg residents, with a job training center and counseling services space and the core technology and makerspace offerings, including a technology center, computer lab, digital visualization lab, and recording studios.
See Also: 2019 Cultural Facility Giants Report: New libraries are all about community
Level 3: houses the bulk of the collections and offers soft seating for reading and research along with staff space.
Level 4: showcases the revamped Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room, which features the library’s special collections and a theater and staff space.
Level 5: houses the destination reading room, a writer’s studio and porch, and an outdoor terrace which serves as a reading, programming and meeting space, along with administrative offices.
The library is slated to break ground in early 2021 and complete and re-open in 2024.
Related Stories
| Jan 21, 2011
Library planned for modern media enthusiasts
The England Run Library, a new 30,000-sf glass, brick, and stone building, will soon house more than 100,000 books and DVDs. The Lukmire Partnership, Arlington, Va., designed the Stafford County, Va., library, the firm’s fourth for the Central Rappahannock Library System, to combine modern library-browsing trends with traditional library services.
| Nov 23, 2010
The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which will house the former president’s library
The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which will house the former president’s library and museum, plus the Bush Institute, is aiming for LEED Platinum. The 226,565-sf center, located at Southern Methodist University, in Dallas, was designed by architect Robert A.M. Stern and landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh.
| Nov 9, 2010
Designing a library? Don’t focus on books
How do you design a library when print books are no longer its core business? Turn them into massive study halls. That’s what designers did at the University of Amsterdam, where they transformed the existing 27,000-sf library into a study center—without any visible books. About 2,000 students visit the facility daily and encounter workspaces instead of stacks.
| Nov 3, 2010
Seattle University’s expanded library trying for LEED Gold
Pfeiffer Partners Architects, in collaboration with Mithun Architects, programmed, planned, and designed the $55 million renovation and expansion of Lemieux Library and McGoldrick Learning Commons at Seattle University. The LEED-Gold-designed facility’s green features include daylighting, sustainable and recycled materials, and a rain garden.
| Oct 13, 2010
Bookworms in Silver Spring getting new library
The residents of Silver Spring, Md., will soon have a new 112,000-sf library. The project is aiming for LEED Silver certification.
| Aug 11, 2010
JE Dunn, Balfour Beatty among country's biggest institutional building contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 50 Institutional Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Jacobs, Arup, AECOM top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 75 largest international design firms
A ranking of the Top 75 International Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants