The design approach from the outset was to create welcoming, comfortable, and user-friendly spaces. The conceptual approach was to design various pockets of space, each with a unique character that provides various spatial experiences as you journey through the building. These pockets of space give the client more options and flexibility in arranging furniture and utilizing different spaces for events and functions. Several outdoor spill-out spaces were designed to create a seamless transition between inside and outside while allowing different groups of visitors to use these spaces simultaneously.
The layout of the building was organized along a strong central axis in the form of a thick feature wall that splits the roof planes of the Restaurant and Coffee shop and creates a strong vertical plane that draws visitors in towards the main entrance. This wide wall is carved out internally to make sheltered seating booths and bookshelves in the library. It serves multiple functions of clearly establishing the thresholds between different spaces, functioning as a wayfinding element that guides you through the building, and, on a functional level, reducing the span of the roof, which is more cost-effective and prevents waterproofing issues.
A mono-pitch roof slopes towards the North to bring in as much natural light as possible. At the same time, the ceiling in the Restaurant was designed as a curving organic plane that slopes up towards a long, clerestory strip window and brings in soft indirect light. Depending on the spatial and functional requirements, a series of bulkheads with cove lights designate the different spaces and increase or decrease in volume. A series of masonry brick fins carry the roof and pergolas while providing solar control for the extensive, northwest-facing glazing and glass stacking doors that open towards the outdoor seating area.