concept & vision

our vision for the public library is of a strong landmark to inspire investment in the community it serves. And, within the building, to foster a dynamic relationship between diverse spaces and between visitors. The building' sculptural presence anchors a complex urban site, mediating the adjacent low-rise residences and the high-rise towers to the North, standing out with its round volume as an icon of public life

design & architecture

about 170 shipping containers are stacked, cropped on the outside to form a circular volume, and carved on the inside to create interconnected interior spaces. Seven individual 'wheels' of stacked containers drop down from the street level to stop in a lower pedestrian plaza. one wheel is rotated to house the vertical circulation and connection across the different levels and programs. we center the library around a multiple-level open core, directly connected to the program housed in more intimate spaces around the atrium

program & use

a variety of public and semi-private areas for browsing, consulting, readying, studying and lounging is generated by the juxtaposition of large open spaces and intimate alcove-like areas. The terraced layout encircles the atrium enabling visual connections between different areas and activities

impact & significance

we test offsetting the square nature of the container operating on the larger scale of the stack. We test gauging transparency and opacity through a pattern of narrow windows that rhymes with the corrugations of the container corrugated steel, filtering how light enters different spaces, with more open slots at the atrium areas, and higher protection at the stacks