The existing library facility is sited to take full advantage of the scenic views of the Sweetwater River valley and Chula Vista golf course. This project was a roughly 3,200 SF addition of a Children’s Area, and complete remodel of the existing 10,000 SF Library including Marketplace, Study Rooms, Community Room, and Staff Area. The addition was developed to take advantage of views, while also protecting the occupants from wayward balls from the adjacent golf course.
The remodel of the main library reading room, known as the Marketplace, opens up the large interior of the existing library by removing some of the lower hanging ceiling soffits, and brightens the space with colorful floor finishes and wall graphics, while still maintaining the ample amount of Northern light coming from the existing clerestory windows. HVAC, lighting and finishes were replaced throughout the existing library, including new book stacks, furniture, and signage.
Another portion of the remodel included providing four new private study rooms which border the east wall and provide intimate and quiet areas for collaborative learning and teamwork. The design incorporates the use of colorful string art to separate this space from the main reading room while maintaining staff visibility into the area.
Bold bright stripes and ribbons throughout both the Marketplace, which guide users through a language portal, and the Children’s area, represent longitude and latitude and are reflected on a graphic map in the children’s story time area showing where the lines meet to locate the library in the world.
