Paul Burns
Creative Director and Community Relations, Louisville Free Public Library
Improve Equity of Access to Libraries:
After merging with the county, the city library system had an obligation to expand services to historically underserved suburban neighborhoods. In the end, land acquisition, development costs, and the sheer quantity of construction projects pushed the master plan toward an approach of fewer, larger, full service libraries: more materials in less space.
Create a World Class Future-Enabled Public Library:
Fully embrace public library evolution as a place to not only access knowledge, but to apply it (hands on learning).
Improve the City’s Knowledge Economy
A correlation exists between community investment in libraries and economic productivity and resiliency.
Maximize Flexibility
Create flexible environments to meet the learning and technological needs of future generations.
Holistic Site Design
The deep integration between the landscape and building architects empowered design solutions that inspired one another. The results are destinations that lure visitors to take the long route to the front door, engaging with each site’s unique characteristics before seeing those same features as celebrated views once inside.
Supreme Adaptability
Libraries have to achieve more than ever with fewer resources than ever. These buildings were shaped to empower staff to actively engage patrons, and be easily reconfigurable when inevitable service evolution happens.
Active daylight dimming system to ensure ideal reading conditions throughout the day.
Personal spaces for patrons of every age.
Colin Drake
AIA, LEED AP, Principal, JRA Architects
