Culture

Barrington Area Library

Barrington, Illinois | Completed 1994
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Nes­tled into a heav­i­ly wood­ed site, the exist­ing low-pro­file library need­ed expan­sion and enhanced iden­ti­ty. The entry pavil­ion joins new and old along a cen­tral­ized ​“street” that frames views and re-orga­nizes library func­tions while dou­bling square footage. 

Wood columns rise like the trunk of a tree and split into branch­es to sup­port an angled roof. Dap­pled light from a cleresto­ry win­dow fil­ters in; ani­mat­ing the space through­out the day and into the evening. 

This new arcade frames views to the land­scape beyond while clar­i­fy­ing patron flows to a hospitality/​wel­come desk. At this inter­sec­tion a sec­ondary axis leads library goers to addi­tion­al ser­vices: cir­cu­la­tion, ref­er­ence, adult and youth sec­tions, and meet­ing rooms.

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The entry hall fea­tures tree-like struc­tures that sup­port the roof above. Dimen­sion­al lum­ber branch­es from cen­tral columns in a clever series of attach­ments that appear fre­net­ic yet organized. 

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The engag­ing­ly tec­ton­ic qual­i­ty of the struc­ture serves to con­stant­ly ani­mate the space… At night, the illu­mi­nat­ed struc­ture grows entic­ing­ly, a grove of radi­ant, rus­tic man­made trees cre­at­ing a bea­con in the sub­ur­ban landscape.

 Raymond Mendez, The Architectural Review

Out­door patios adja­cent to meet­ing and read­ing rooms extend the library beyond four walls and into the wood­ed landscape.

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CTA Fullerton Belmont 10
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