Convent Garden Library
Convent Garden’s lush beauty belies the criticality of the infrastructure it embodies: a place to touch the earth, enjoy a quiet moment within the city, and to meet members of the community.
A branch library at this site should preserve these tactile and emotional experiences while offering a variety of critical services.
At less than 6000sf, this site is particularly small. Zoning poses another challenge, as only 80% of the lot can be occupied by a building’s footprint.
A branch library sized to serve the community robustly must build up, down, or both.
A glazed brick facade reflects the neighborhood’s design language in a refreshing way.
Extensive swathes of glass brick provides a sound barrier against the city street, filters light during the day, and finally offers a glowing beacon to the neighborhood during evening programming.