A New, Vibrant Neighborhood Landmark
Providing free, open, and equal access to ideas and information to all members of the community is both the mission of the King County Library System and the underlying concept for the Federal Way 320th replacement library. The new building transitions deftly from commercial to residential, from suburban to urban, establishing a vibrant community library.
A Community Gathering Space
At 15,000 square feet, the Library is an unusual size for KCLS responding to a low/moderate-income community known for extremely heavy use with 50% more user space than its collection size demands. The structure is durable, easy to maintain and accommodates a broad range of community functions and gives children and teens a home-away-from-home. The open floor plan and flexible community meeting room offer this constituency a much-needed and heavily-used gathering place. Repurposed lumber from the original building wraps the meeting rooms with warm wood paneling and maintains a link to the community’s past.
An Attitude of Democratic Engagement
Right in the seam of commercial and residential development, the building’s street-side transparency asserts a public place. On the inside, the large, open reading room looking out to the community reinforces this attitude of democratic engagement. Next to a busy thoroughfare, the library’s transparent street-front displays diverse activities, while its entry opens to a big “back yard” with trees and landscaping where kids can arrive safely by bicycle or pile out of and into parked cars.
A Civic Scale
The Library’s scale and materiality produce the civic gravitas befitting the new library’s community status, as well as a playful quality to entice patrons and keep them coming back. Simple and direct, the light and airy structure elevates its suburban environment with a sense of elegance and sophistication, and connects Federal Way to the larger world of design.
Durable and Affordable
The hybrid wood/steel structural solution brings great advantages in terms of long span spaces and affordability. The building is clad in a robust screen of perforated weathering steel, its organic quality and rusty colors creating a billboard along the street in a language that blends with the natural surroundings of Federal Way’s residential neighborhoods.
