Lenexa Public Library Lenexa, Kansas
The new public library serves as an essential component of the downtown development. Located adjacent to the new City Hall, community recreation center, restaurants, public markets and apartment complexes, the library is focused on being a community center in Johnson County.
Location
Lenexa, Kansas
Sector
Arts
Service
Architecture
Client
Johnson County Library, City of Lenexa
Status
Completed
Size
40,000 SF
The library engages the community; the commons visually connects to the civic plaza, street, and public market. The upper and lower entries allow for ease of patron access from both the Civic Center and Public Plaza. Thirty-foot-high windows allow for connectivity between the outdoor plaza and library patrons. Plaza-grey Kansas limestone, black locust wood, and reclaimed barn wood pay homage to the library’s Kansas roots.
The unifying gesture of the space is a curving ribbon wall weaving between the exterior and interior. This ribbon-like railing draws patrons walking along the public plaza toward the library’s two entrances.
To achieve total flexibility, the majority of the library is an open loft-like space that houses the adult, teen, and juvenile collections on two levels. Three large flexible meeting spaces and four smaller meeting spaces can be utilized by both library staff and community members and will provide access to technology for community groups, tutoring, and collaborative discussions. The service model is designed to enhance public access to the collections, emphasize different types of spaces for activities, gatherings, and meetings, focus services to patrons, and integrate patron self-service strategies and staff mobility.
Integral to the library’s design was making it accessible and easy-to-use for local residents. A drive-through window for library holds, pick-ups, and returns makes access to books convenient for patrons. The drive through is designed to feel like an extension of the library itself, with patterned walls reminiscent of driving through the stacks.
Awards
Kansas City Business Journal Capstone Awards: Community Impact, 2020
USGBC Award for Innovative Design, Community Leadership, 2020