Lebanon Public Library

Lebanon, Oregon

How can a single building give heart to a sprawling community?

Lebanon Public Library. A large, open library reading room with tables and computers in teh foreground and library collections in the background. The wood-clad ceiling is very high and features a pitched roofline and multiple skylights. There are stained glass clearstories along the sides of the roofline, and a triangular one made of transparent glass at the end. In the very back of te building a lit fireplace can be seen at the end of the aisle between stacks.

FFA worked with the City of Lebanon to design their new main library, which is located across the street from the city’s new Justice Center (also designed by FFA) on the city’s historic Academy Square Park.  The library serves as the ‘front door’ to the city of Lebanon and has become the city’s ‘living room’, providing a civic presence as well as warm, inviting spaces for all ages.  The building incorporates the essence of the historic site as a center for cultural gatherings and educational exchange.  Construction for both the library and the adjacent Justice Center was completed in July 2009.

Year Completed:
2009
Size:
19,400 sf
Project Contact:
Troy Ainsworth, AIA, NCARB
Principal, Market Lead
Connect
East Elevation
Section
View from the Great Lawn

COMMUNITY AND PLACE

At the heart of this civic gathering place is creating a sense of community for a diverse range of people. By varying the ceiling heights from the grand, open main stacks space to the more intimate scale of a reading room fireplace hearth, the FFA has designed into the building many layers of choice. This choice gives people comfort and allows for the entire community of Lebanon to make the library their own.

Lebanon Civic Center Site Plan
Main Entry Approach
Children’s Storytime Patio