Under the Live Oak: Wando Mount Pleasant Library

Under the Live Oak Wando Mount Pleasant Library

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ibraries loom large in our childhood memories. From those who are old enough to remember rifling through the card catalog to the youngsters whose trips to the library include time spent watching the book bot do its work, all who love the library are connected by the shared experience of seeking and discovering information.

Today’s libraries tend to include digital information platforms and multifunctional spaces for a variety of events, and the best libraries blend old-school and high-tech to offer something familiar and wonderful for every generation.

The original Mount Pleasant branch library was built in the 1970s, when a library was primarily dedicated to books: storing, organizing and sharing them. Evolving technologies, however, have brought new opportunities for the dissemination of knowledge and a new paradigm of the library experience.

Libraries always remind me that there are good things in this world. –Lauren Ward

The library joined the modern era with a new 40,000 SF facility driven by the idea of connectivity. The design aligns active spaces with the roadways to activate the facades, showcasing the library’s lively programming to the community. The form is a direct response to the site’s linear shape and the adjacent wetland to the northeast.

The design team worked closely with the librarians to tailor the library to the

needs of a multigenerational audience. To generate engaged discussion and authentic communication, the team created more than 20 hand-drawn studies for the design and used them as conversation tools. These lively discussions ultimately influenced the placement of the program spaces and generated inspiration for the unique features which make the library so special.

The exterior materials include indigenous brick, low-maintenance wood-like elements for warmth and texture, and expansive glazing to maximize transparency. The entry wall is bound together by white and black elements nodding to the printed word; the stone is pushed and pulled like books on a shelf.

The interior design is inspired by the nature of the site, with the gentle effects of filtered sunlight animating the building. As guests travel through the library, the materials palette tells the “story” of nature. A textural wood plank wall mimics tree bark, while the adult area’s floor integrates the color gradations of a sweetgrass basket. The turquoise and blue ceiling in the young adult area reference flowing water, and the children’s wing plays on the question “how does the grass grow?”

Outside, an expansive patio and bermed seating around a favorite live oak tree create storytelling spaces. A bioswale at the window blurs the lines between inside and out. Inside, daylighting strategies create a welcoming interior environment which makes reading a pleasure while at the same time minimizing the need for artificial lighting and lowering energy use.

Based on input from multiple community meetings in which members of the public shared wish lists for program spaces, the adult areas and stacks feature small breakout spaces for contemplation and reading. Young adults have an age-appropriate enclave rather than a meld of kid/adult space.

The children’s space features playful alcoves pushing beyond the boundaries of the wall, round skylights creating pools of light on the grass-colored carpet, and a titanium fish-scale oculus forming an inviting space to curl up with a book.

The high-tech interior includes a glass-encased automated material handling system which transports and sorts books via conveyor belt and encourages people to watch the library in action. Special program spaces encourage patrons to engage in their own high-tech projects with dedicated digital workspaces. These areas will support activities from family portraits to audio recordings to video editing. For hands-on types, makerspaces will accommodate creative projects.

Other amenities include group study rooms, a multipurpose auditorium seating 250, mothers’ lounges, and quiet areas. Conference rooms are tailored to the needs of people who work from home and may enjoy readily available spaces for client meetings and other entrepreneurial support options.

The connectivity that drove the design is evident everywhere: connectivity from indoors to outdoors, library to community, generation to generation­–and present to future.

Perhaps no place in any community is so totally democratic as the town library.

The only entrance requirement is interest. –Lady Bird Johnson

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