Walpole Public Library

143, School Street, Walpole, MA, United States

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Walpole Public Library

143, School Street, Walpole, MA, United States

Firm

Type

Educational › Library

YEAR

2012

SIZE

25,000 sqft - 100,000 sqft

BUDGET

$10M - 50M

In the historic context of New England, the Walpole Public
Library is a rare new building sited adjacent to the town hall and historic
Blackburn Hall and just steps away from downtown. LLB Architects had been
working with the Walpole community since 2007 when we were asked to re-envision
and improve upon the previous library design, accepted for a construction grant
from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. After a long, twenty-year
process and funding approval by a slim margin, the community of Walpole can be
proud of their new library. The design of the new 32,000 sf building uses traditional
architectural textures, colors, and fundamentals of traditional architecture to
respond to the New England context. The library program is organized around
four masses encased in fiber cement panels which anchor the building’s entries.
In between them, generous circulation paths, a sculptural staircase, and
skylights create a feeling of openness and lightness. The difference in
treatment and fenestration on each side of the library appropriately responds
to its site orientation and the environmental effects on them. On the interior, service desks for circulation, reference,
and the children’s area are centrally located for the highest visibility and
security with the minimum number of staff. There are areas dedicated for young
children, which includes a program room for community events; young adults, with
computers and comfortable seating for lounging; and patrons looking for new
books and media, or reference materials, or any of the 110,000 items (and
counting) in the library’s collection. One of the areas in the library that has
grown in popularity is the quiet study rooms, designed with floor to ceiling
glass, which allow for a sense of privacy and territory, but a sense of
security as well. The building is expected to receive LEED Silver
certification and makes use of both passive sustainable strategies as well as
active strategies. The incorporation of a green roof over the one-story wing
creates a better insulated space for the program area. Natural light floods the
interior spaces through the surrounding glazing and skylights and reduces the
need for artificial lighting. The use of a photovoltaic panel system has
assisted in generating over 5% of the building’s utility features onsite, as
well reducing the baseline energy use by nearly 25%. A rain garden at the entry
of the building creates a small stream of rainwater from the roof to feed
native plantings and remain within onsite in a retention pond. To further
promote sustainable design, significant efforts were made to use both local and
high-recycled content materials. The library’s past location was built in 1903 thanks to a
grant from Andrew Carnegie, land donation by Walpole natives, and town money.
Like then, Walpole’s new library, with a project budget of $11.2 million, has
been made possible by various contributions including a generous grant from the
MBLC, charitable donations from the community, and optimism from the taxpayers
of Walpole. Since its dedication in April 2012, the Walpole Public Library has
seen circulation levels dramatically increase and continues to welcome patrons
offering endearing compliments.Photography by Bruce T. Martin Photography

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Walpole Public Library

143, School Street, Walpole, MA, United States

Walpole Public Library

143, School Street, Walpole, MA, United States

Product Spec Sheet

Collaborating Firms

Team