Troup-Harris Regional Library System, Hogansville Library

The Troup-Harris Regional Library System commissioned McMillan Pazdan Smith to program and design a new library for Hogansville, GA as the community had outgrown its 2,400 SF downtown building. The new library is 11,000 SF building located in the Hogansville city park.

The design process was a collaborative effort beginning with multiple community input meetings, followed by programming and design with significant input from the Library Building Team, including approval form the Hogansville Historic Board. The resulting design is a building that fits harmoniously into the park landscape, pulls from the surrounding structures, and is oriented for maximum daylighting and minimum heat gain. Daylighting and lighting control strategies were used to reduce energy consumption during daytime operations.

Features include an open public reading area overlooking the park, dedicated children’s and teen areas, and a large multi-purpose room for library and community events. There is a drive-up book drop and large exterior porches which invite both library patrons and park goers to engage with the building and enjoy the shaded rocking chairs with full access to free WiFi. A raised interior floor allows for ultimate flexibility in furniture and computer layouts to provide power and data to 21st-century patrons.

The North façade focuses on the open park landscape and allows for natural daylighting. The South façade, shaded by a grove of old growth oak trees, employs large overhangs and low-E glazing and the East and West facades are solid to protect from direct solar heat gain. Preserving the existing trees on site and orienting the building for maximum efficiency were integral to design. The result is a building that reflects the rural aesthetic of the small Southern town but will provide a fresh and rejuvenating space for library patrons and community members, further activate the park, and enhance the rich sense of community already present in Hogansville.