Teens on the design team demanded physical separation from the main library without their new distinct space feeling isolated. The resulting 2000 SF teen “Loft” was carved out of unused storage space with easy access to staff and adult reference materials.Illuminated digital letters set within a translucent honeycomb panel spell out ownership. A palete expressive of the teen’s sophisticated ideas evolved that represented duality: a “silly” side with an “egg chair”, mod lights, and spaces to lounge and a “serious” side with computers, study carrels, and task lighting. The pastiche of wallpapers speaks of encryption, perhaps indicative of teen communicative habits, inspired by both text and technology. The Reading Bar, a café-inspired counter surrounds the wall of monitors and informal stage that the teens or the teen librarian operate for “improv”, poetry slams, or performance. A local high school senior commented, “I walked into the Loft and thought this couldn’t possibly be the library.”
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