Designed by Snøhetta in collaboration with Clark Nexsen, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s new Main Library is a 115,000-sf building that will go beyond being just a library to serve as a public commons.
The technologically-advanced, five-story library’s design draws on the concept of the ridgeline literally and figuratively as it generates views in a variety of directions and acts as a convergence point for community and culture. A glowing, translucent prow cantilevers out over the sidewalk, opening the building up to the street.
At street level, the facade is glazed in a transparent band of glass that wraps the tapered corner to allow views deep into the library, putting the activity within on display. The main entry is framed by a copper soffit and has the potential to be connected to the historic McGlohon Theatre and Duke Energy Theater next door to form a new civic space. The sloped front facade is clad in ceramic panels and resembles a patterned textile to modulate light conditions within.
Inside the building a large atrium opens up to the top floor for easy wayfinding. A spiraling wooden stair leads up to the four floors above with each level offering unique views of the surrounding city via large windows and outdoor terrace spaces.
Each level is designed with a specific thematic focus:
Lower Level: houses a pre-function and event space
Level 1: includes the two main entrances as well as a café entrance, lobby, café, theater area, reading zones, and self-service checkpoints.
Level 2: features the welcome and orientation center for new and recent Mecklenburg residents, with a job training center and counseling services space and the core technology and makerspace offerings, including a technology center, computer lab, digital visualization lab, and recording studios.
See Also: 2019 Cultural Facility Giants Report: New libraries are all about community
Level 3: houses the bulk of the collections and offers soft seating for reading and research along with staff space.
Level 4: showcases the revamped Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room, which features the library’s special collections and a theater and staff space.
Level 5: houses the destination reading room, a writer’s studio and porch, and an outdoor terrace which serves as a reading, programming and meeting space, along with administrative offices.
The library is slated to break ground in early 2021 and complete and re-open in 2024.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Nov 6, 2023
Top 110 Cultural Facility Architecture Firms for 2023
Populous, Gensler, HGA, DLR Group, and Quinn Evans top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest cultural facilities sector architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes revenue from all cultural building sectors, including concert venues, art galleries, museums, performing arts centers, and public libraries.
Mass Timber | Sep 1, 2023
Community-driven library project brings CLT to La Conner, Wash.
The project, designed by Seattle-based architecture firm BuildingWork, was conceived with the history and culture of the local Swinomish Indian Tribal Community in mind.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
Top 115 Architecture Engineering Firms for 2023
Stantec, HDR, Page, HOK, and Arcadis North America top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture engineering (AE) firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
2023 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
A record 552 AEC firms submitted data for BD+C's 2023 Giants 400 Report. The final report includes 137 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
Top 175 Architecture Firms for 2023
Gensler, HKS, Perkins&Will, Corgan, and Perkins Eastman top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Standards | Jun 26, 2023
New Wi-Fi standard boosts indoor navigation, tracking accuracy in buildings
The recently released Wi-Fi standard, IEEE 802.11az enables more refined and accurate indoor location capabilities. As technology manufacturers incorporate the new standard in various devices, it will enable buildings, including malls, arenas, and stadiums, to provide new wayfinding and tracking features.
Libraries | Mar 26, 2023
An abandoned T.J. Maxx is transformed into a new public library in Cincinnati
What was once an abandoned T.J. Maxx store in a shopping center is now a vibrant, inviting public library. The Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library (CHPL) has transformed the ghost store into the new Deer Park Library, designed by GBBN.
Libraries | Feb 26, 2023
A $17 million public library in California replaces one that was damaged in a 2010 earthquake
California’s El Centro community, about two hours east of San Diego, recently opened a new $17 million public library. With design by Ferguson Pape Baldwin Architects and engineering services by Latitude 33 Planning & Engineering, the 19,811-sf building replaces the previous library, which was built in the early 1900s, damaged by a 7.2 earthquake that struck Baja California in 2010, and demolished in 2016.
Giants 400 | Feb 9, 2023
New Giants 400 download: Get the complete at-a-glance 2022 Giants 400 rankings in Excel
See how your architecture, engineering, or construction firm stacks up against the nation's AEC Giants. For more than 45 years, the editors of Building Design+Construction have surveyed the largest AEC firms in the U.S./Canada to create the annual Giants 400 report. This year, a record 519 firms participated in the Giants 400 report. The final report includes 137 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Giants 400 | Feb 6, 2023
2022 Reconstruction Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. building reconstruction and renovation sector
Gensler, Stantec, IPS, Alfa Tech, STO Building Group, and Turner Construction top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest reconstruction sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2022 Giants 400 Report.
