Hapeville Library, Fulton County Library System
Certified: LEED Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council
Awarded:
- AIA Georgia, People’s Choice Award, 2022
- AIA Georgia, Citation Award, 2022
In 2017, The Fulton County Library System hired the Design-Build team of Albion Construction and McMillan Pazdan Smith to renovate their existing library in Hapeville, Georgia. After examining existing conditions and analyzing current and projected needs of the library, it was determined that a new facility versus renovating the existing library would be a better long-term option. While the existing facility was architecturally significant in its design, spaces were undersized for current needs and not easily adaptable without modifying the footprint of the facility.
A new building allowed the design team to fully configure a flexible floor plan that meets the demands of a 21st-century library. An open plan, with right sized staff back of house areas, addresses users’ current needs, but allows for flexibility to modify for future needs. Stakeholder engagement sessions were conducted which informed the specific spaces needed to serve operational and programming functions. Findings from the feedback resulted in three meeting spaces and dedicated teen area, large banks of windows that form the north and south facades of the library collection area provide accessible views and daylighting, lower shelving and better direct / indirect lighting to provide better visibility. Technology, both wired and wireless, have been injected throughout the facility for a “dead zone free” technology environment.
The building design was informed by the library’s location (located within a mile of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the Delta Airlines Corporate Headquarters, and the Porsche North America Corporate Headquarters). The library takes the form of an abstract airplane, with colors and geometry referencing the jet era, and alludes to the design of the original award winning library. At the building’s front facade, a large 12-foot cantilevered canopy provides shade for the ample glazing.