West Lafayette Public Library

Client: West Lafayette Public Library
Project: West Lafayette Public Library New Construction

Brick and stone in harmony with aluminum and glass. Custom terracotta medallions. A welcoming terrazzo entryway. To casual visitors,these things could be interpreted as separate design features. But to discerning patrons, they're something more - a salute to the region's rich culture.

The team who envisioned, designed, and built the new West Lafayette Public Library worked to understand this college town's past - as well as its promise for the future. The design was inspired by the library's collection of Frank Lloyd Wright furniture, as well as a neighboring building designed by Louis Sullivan. The building's exterior includes a plaza that serves as a gateway to neighboring Purdue University.

The library's interior spaces were painstakingly designed to be of service simultaneously to community members, Purdue students, staff, and volunteers. The building even makes use of an automated materials handling system that allows staff members to focus on assisting patrons, rather than carrying books. In these ways and more, the West Lafayette Public Library is a warehouse of knowledge and a beneficiary of it.