Mom, Can I Borrow Your Library Card? I’m Going To The Mall.

BuildingWork Designs a New Library in the Retail Environment

A new interior facade for a Public Library within the Southcenter Mall invites retail visitors to engage with the public library system’s varied high and low-tech offerings

The library services world is rapidly evolving. By definition, patron services are paramount, but resources don’t always keep pace with needs. Today’s most successful library systems are forward thinking groups that rely on flexible solutions. While innovation may be the goal, it sometimes comes in the form of creative re-use of what’s existing.

The King County Library System (KCLS) in the Seattle area devised a plan to take the library to the people. They currently operate branch libraries inside 3 local shopping malls. The result is heavily used “retail” branch libraries that bring services directly to a suburban population that might not otherwise visit a public library.

According to Architect, Kate Weiland, at BuildingWork, a Seattle-based architectural firm, the uniqueness of KCLS’ approach to library services stems from a consideration of “how people can interact with library services on a daily basis, as part of everyday interactions … not necessarily thinking about the library as purely a point of destination any more.”

Not the Apple Store! Public computer stations provide a relaxing refuge for device charging, WiFi access, and searching the public library database

KCLS was faced with the opportunity to expand into 2,000 square feet of space adjacent to their Southcenter Mall location. The additional space would effectively double the size of the branch library. Often in the realm of public libraries, unexpected opportunities cannot be paired with ideal budgets.

In the beginning Matt Aalfs, Architect and founder of BuildingWork, knew it would be a challenge to convert a 2,300 square foot, shopping mall library branch into a 4,300 square foot, prototype for modern library services on a $650,000 construction budget. But he established the goals for the Library Connection at Southcenter to be: “Do great things with a tight budget” and “create a meaningful gathering place.”

“From an architectural point of view,” Weiland added “the biggest challenge was fitting a not-for-profit mission and budget into the typical opulence and showmanship that defines the realm of consumerism. How do you create an service-based, public library experience that meshes with a high-end retail environment?”

BuildingWork designed the public open reading area to blend effectively with its lively retail neighbors

Out of a process of careful prioritization, an innovative and sometimes surprising community hub emerged unhindered by its pared down budget.

Strategic reuse and repurposing made way for a rich, colorful dance between public and private space that’s part museum and part internet cafe, that’s hi-tech, touch-screen and low-tech, traditional books and periodicals. In the end, the Library Connection at Southcenter is all, third place oasis.

The Library’s new entrance within the mall presents its educational offerings with the same visual energy as other consumer environments

As it turns out, the flexibility of the design strategy was mirrored in the construction process to meet the biggest operational challenge for the Library. Again, according to Kate Weiland: “In the KCLS network, shutting down a facility like Southcenter for an extended period of time isn’t an option. When you’re dealing with a branch that enjoys such a high rate of use, you can’t just send patrons to other branches. The project team had to develop a schedule that included intermittent work, minimal down time, and scheduled work in off-hours.”

To many, the resulting Southcenter Library emphasizes world languages, periodicals, public access computers, wifi, charging stations and comfortable seating, and represents what is possible in a continuing evolution of library services and the expanding realm of the public library.

BuildingWork and the King’s County Library System carefully designed multi-generational space that responds to current differences in high and low-tech information access

BuildingWork and the King’s County Library System carefully designed multi-generational space that responds to current differences in high and low-tech information access

To the BuildingWork team, the many layers of the Southcenter project represent a successful new adventure into what’s possible. “When I look back at Southcenter,” Aalfs said, “I realize the inherent challenges of the project drove us to reach new levels of creative thinking, cost effectiveness, and client services. All those things represent our own growth and combined they resulted in meaningful community impact. We accomplished our goal.”

At the project’s onset, the architect established the goals for the Library Connection at Southcenter to be: “Do great things with a tight budget” and “create a meaningful gathering place.”

Photo Credits: Lara Swimmer Photography

BuildingWork was founded by Matt Aalfs AIA. Our name, BuildingWork, reflects our straightforward approach to architecture: We work on buildings. We put places together in a meaningful way with a deep respect for craft, context, and detail.

Discovering the layers that make places special drives everything we do. Our collaborative team of architects brings enthusiasm and passion to every project, regardless of scale. We are a scrappy, nimble, and creative firm, and yet we have a depth of established expertise that enables us to address complex architectural challenges with elegance and pragmatism.