Pelham, Alabama
Pelham Public Library
20,000 square feet
A core strength of the 20,000-square-foot building is its diverse offering that caters to all types of members in the community. Additionally, it offers much more than a traditional library and is designed to be interactive.
The state-of-the-art facility features meeting rooms, study spaces, a children’s area, a teen section complete with a maker’s space, and abundant opportunities for technology and reading.
The entrance to the children’s area appears to be torn directly from the pages of a storybook with a circular doorway and whimsical brightly colored reading nooks. A biophilic undulating green carpet pathway leads through the space mimicking the texture and appearance of grass. Groupings of backlit resin panels resemble lush glowing tree canopies overhead. Playfulness is added with a wall graphic showing colorful striped trees.
On the first level natural texture is evoked through a monumental stacked stone fire place that encourages visitors to cozy up with a good book. Upstairs, the study rooms which are named after different tree types offer a quiet place to focus and seating underneath the staircase welcomes people to relax.
