I recently had the privilege of taking a tour of the 92% complete West Hollywood Library. I'd like to tell you all how cool this place is going to be….. To call it a library is actually very limiting, that's only one part of the program. Other areas include a new city
Don’t get me wrong, the library is incredible all on its own; shelf space will go from 30,000 volumes to over 150,000. Public computers will go from 5 to 47. Specialized areas will include a teen center, a computer center, a room dedicated to West Hollywood heritage, and a very special children's reading room. Weho's library is technically run by Los Angeles County , and they will be moving almost all of their gay and lesbian related material to the new library, possibly making it the biggest LGBT library in the world.
But the architecture is the real star of the show…..Take a look at this very detailed virtual tour.....
The firm Johnson Favaro designed a LEED silver certified back drop for all of the functions that I already mentioned. The exterior of the building is a clean white box which conceals playful organic motifs constructed out of precious materials, like carrera marble and environmentally conscious ones, like bamboo. The design incorporates public art by the likes of graffiti artist Banksy.
The building is also thoughtfully connected to the community. One level of garage extends under the adjacent park making it more flat and usable while also allowing the main floor of the library to open directly onto the park. A grand staircase entrance takes you up to the library, and is part of an axis relating to the PDC plaza across the street. And the scale and street frontage brings architecture up off the street for a more urban flavor. West Hollywood is raising the bar for libraries and community buildings across the country.
