DESIGN TREND: Open and Airy

Designing for delight and flexibility is demonstrated in many of this year’s submissions, fostering gathering, play, and communal experiences. The Bloomington Public Library, IL, expansion and renovation is awash with natural light and bold pops of color, delineating areas through furnishings. The Fulshear Branch, Fort Bend County Libraries, TX, brings the expansive Texas prairie look and feel into its interiors, creatively placing the library in its geographic context.

Community living rooms create a focal point for social experiences. Nestled within a preserved forest, the Dorchester County Library on the Ashley River, Summerville, SC, offers a serene space. The dedicated children’s area has window frame seating, and an indoor pergola provides a communal place for teens. Flexibility is a priority at the Middletown Branch, Frederick County Public Libraries, MD, where the family activity room opens onto the children’s space. A glass retractable wall to the adjacent large meeting room and an adult seating area flanked by outdoor reading areas continue that functionality.

Serving as an interior public square for the neighborhood, New York Public Library’s Inwood Library–Joseph and Sheila Rosenblatt Building is full of natural light from the double-height street façade and 40-foot skylight illuminating upper and lower levels. Wood, concrete, and terrazzo used together create a warm and robust environment. The Whitestown Branch, Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library, IN, takes advantage of outside views with large glass expanses. Using sun studies, architects oriented the building to maximize natural daylight; skylights and clerestory windows throughout the main spaces ensure a bright, light-filled library.

A new facility expanding its local footprint, the North Oak Branch, Mid-Continent Public Library, Kansas City, MO, features large windows that let in the surrounding greenery and give it a “treehouse” feel. The playful approach, accentuated by thoughtful color selections and natural wood finishes, emphasizes intentional open spaces.

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Inwood Library–Joseph and Sheila Rosenblatt Building, New York Public Library; Andrew Berman Architect, LLC, architect; © Michael Moran/OTTO, photo.

Bloomington Public Library, IL; Engberg Anderson, architects; AJ Brown Imaging, photo.

Whitestown Branch, Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library, IN; krM Architecture, architect; Al Ensley, photo.

Dorchester County Library on the Ashley River, Summerville, SC; McMillan Pazdan Smith, architect; Greg Cayer, photo.

Fulshear Branch Library, Fort Bend County Libraries, TX; Huitt-Zollars, Inc., architect; © 2024 Paul Hester, Hester + Hardaway Photographers photo.

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