LJ’s 2024 Year in Architecture trends see libraries simultaneously designing for pragmatic concerns, such as safety and site constraints, and an equally important quotient of delight—achieving harmony in the process!

Achieving a sense of balance through design is increasingly important for libraries. Since the pandemic shutdowns and sometimes bumpy reopenings, libraries have had to meet requirements of safety and practicality while finding ways to incorporate the joy and expansiveness needed to welcome all members of the community—and, in many cases, bring a hesitant public back.

As our team of LJ editors and panel of advisors reviewed this year’s new buildings, renovations, and redesigns, we were struck by the resourceful decisions made at every step. Architects and designers went beyond simply thinking about service and programmatic needs to ask—and provide—what each library’s individual community wants.

Our team identified six trends in building design that speak to the changing nature of library service. A rebalancing of physical and digital collections has created new opportunities to maximize light and airflow in library buildings—which also has physical and emotional benefits for patrons and staff. This year’s libraries demonstrate an emphasis on Open and Airy design, letting in an abundance of natural light via larger windows, skylights, and glass panels.

Expansion isn’t limited to interiors, and libraries are coming up with creative ways to bring the Inside Out—and outside in. Connection to the outdoors also factors into good mental health, whether that means forests, beaches, suburban main streets, or city blocks. Weather permitting, well-planned outdoor spaces expand programming possibilities and places to gather.

The importance of open-ended Social Spaces also hit home during and after pandemic closures, and libraries are increasingly prioritizing places for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to be together.

Challenging times make Playfulness ever more important in libraries, and designers are bringing the fun in many ways: vibrant artwork, evocative play spaces, and striking details. Whimsical lighting, climbing spaces and reading niches, and sculptural elements that do double duty as family seating all contribute to a much-needed sense of wonder, discovery, and relaxation.

That lightheartedness goes hand in hand with bursts of Confident Color, which enliven and define spaces. Designers are integrating bolder colors into adult and children’s areas alike, whether through color palettes inspired by natural surroundings, contrasting schemes that help with wayfinding, or rainbow-hued glass that changes with the day’s sunlight and then reflects interior light out at night.

Finally, with an eye on sustainable practices and centering community histories, libraries are making sure What’s Old Is New Again, smoothly incorporating existing structures and materials into renovations and additions.

Taken together, these trends showcase how libraries are continuously evolving to meet community needs. And these trends overlap in novel, practical, and delightful ways—take a look at the smile-inducing design of Prince George’s County Memorial Library System, MD’s Baden Branch Library below. Library design is complex work, but the end product can be engaging, fun, and warm, as this year’s inspiring examples demonstrate.

BACK TO YEAR IN ARCHITECTURE 2024 LANDING PAGE

Baden Branch Library, Prince George’s County Memorial Library System, MD. Grimm + Parker Architects; architect; © Martice Tucker, photo.

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

Westfield Washington Public Library, IN; krM Architecture, architect; Al Ensley, photo.

Champaign Public Library, IL; product architecture + design, architect; Brian Fritz, photo.

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

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