Ramsey County Public Library l Roseville, Minnesota | Architect: Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle Ltd.

Color Coordinated Preconceived notions of a library will be left at the door upon entering the now larger Roseville Library. The 74,000 square foot expansion added a level and opened up areas to light and definition. The teen, children's and adult sections each are distinguished by identifying bold colors and a marketplace ambiance. Building up instead of out in this "amazing transformation" kept the building's plan ecofriendly. Photos by Lara Swimmer

9 | Pop Goes the Library!

The New Icons The Ten New Landmark Libraries Popular Creek Public Library Palo Verde Library/ Maryvale Community Center Cesar Chavez Branch Library Hamilton Mill Branch Library Durango Public Library Sammamish Library Appaloosa Branch Library Agave Library Roseville Library Anythink Wright Farms Ten More That Will Inspire Criteria and Judges

In writing about the newly expanded and renovated Roseville Library prior to its opening, Holly Wenzel, managing editor of RosevilleReview.com, cautioned that those used to the earth-toned and wood-hued former library “are in for a multi-colored, day lit shock.”

The jolt hits on the main floor, an active “marketplace” of most-used services like new materials, holds, computers, media, and the café. It’s a retail-inspired space organized for easy browsing, but it’s also the entrance to a veritable domain of exciting design ideas applied well.

Zoned for discovery, coded for pleasure The ideas include color-coded areas, solid surface–topped study tables for ease in removing scratches, beaucoup feet of recycled rubber floor tiles to take the constant traffic, and frameless windows that create views while bringing in light. The white walls and bright colors signal a new trend in interior design and invite community members to view this expansion as a clean slate.

From the marketplace, customers are drawn to the three main zones of the library—teens, children, and adults—by portals and colors inspired by Minnesota springtime. For teens, it’s poppy and orange. Magenta and lime green excite the children’s room, as do low browsing bins. Deeper greens and tans anchor adult areas and focus on seating.

The design seeks the holy grail of flexibility, aka insurance against future changes in library use. At Roseville that means movable display fixtures on stack ends; service desks that can be easily moved or scaled to the desired size; furniture that can change in use to fit the media format of the day; technology “benching”—few legs and long work surfaces allow for easy resizing of workstations; adjustable displays on casters; and a lighting design that eliminates costly future reworking of the ceiling and lighting fixtures.

Transforming a worn-out, dark, and confusing 1980s single-story space into an open and light-filled two-story hub with a decidedly green ethic wasn’t easy. A site that backs up to residential yards meant many community meetings, even during construction, to work through issues of scale and location of lighting, windows, and landscaping. One solution: tall windows capture light and allow views of the mature tree canopy but block views into the adjacent backyards with an elegant translucent film.

The greenest building already exists Green decisions ripple through the building form, furnishings, finishes, and fixtures. Some are common to green buildings and others stand out. Working with the existing library, despite its status as a community eyesore, was inherently green. That reuse extends to the “old” furniture and shelving, which are complemented by well-made and green new furnishings.

The new furniture includes children’s chairs made from recycled yogurt containers and study tables made locally from local materials. Recycled glass is found in the two terrazzo floor murals—the maze at the entrance to the children’s area and in the main entry lobby.

Durability and low maintenance were also considered with fabrics treated with nanotechnologies to resist moisture and staining and carpet tiles that sport stain-hiding patterns.

Another green decision was to build up, not out. “Adding on vertically is not always structurally possible, but this was at least one case where it was the best solution,” commented one judge. Results of this decision were multiple. They include outdoor reading areas, more green space, improved storm water management, and water-saving features like a rain-collecting cistern outfitted with a tap so that children can water the garden. Plus, it allows the building to harvest daylight efficiently through expansive clerestories.

This eco ethic inspired a zero-waste opening, dissemination of public information about the green features, including outdoor signage on ground water management themes, and partnerships with a local energy provider to offer energy meters for checkout along and with the county for public programs on sustainable issues.

There’s no doubt that Roseville is, in the words of the judges, “an amazing transformation” and a “dynamic improvement to an old-fashioned civic building.” The designers broke through the design template of the 21st-century’s first decade—and it is popular. Visitors pour in from all across the Twin Cities, the number of cardholders is nearly triple the population served, and circulation has soared since opening, tracking at about 5000 checkouts a day.