The new permanent westside branch of the Cedar Rapids Public Library replaces a former leased location in a converted big box store, representing an investment in under-served area of the city. The library is centrally located on the site to create a library in a park and a park in a library.

The program organizes collection areas to the north, and back of house, support, and community rooms to the south. This organization created an opportunity for the collection areas to engage directly with the park, creating collection pavilions that could intermingle with outdoor spaces and support areas that become a backbone for the library.

The building’s two main forms are defined through their material palettes, with brick on the south, street-facing elevation and glass on the north, to take advantage of park views. This allows for a clear and simple building organization that supports the program typologies within, while providing a clear logic for circulation. This promotes ease of access and use, as library patrons can immediately discern where they are going and how to use the facility.

A primary circulation spine runs between the two main entrances at the east and west ends of the building, with all library spaces and uses organized to the north or south of this spine. Visibility of the collection spaces throughout the library adds to the ease of patron wayfinding and creates a welcoming and equitable environment for the entire community.

A sunscreen sits atop the glass box collection and reading pavilions, providing sun shading for the east and west facades, as well as the courtyards. The shade structures also add sense of scale to reinforce the courtyards as outdoor ‘rooms’ that adjoin and support the interior. The combination of open-sky areas in the courtyards, complemented by the dappled light through the sunshades, offers a variety of space types for plantings and patrons to choose from, and supports various library program uses.

A community room anchors the southeastern corner of the building to create a lantern along the street side of the building and signifying the library’s role as more than a collection of books but a resource and community connectors.