Sometimes a building is like a good book; its story may have twists and turns and end completely different than how it began.
The Redbridge Library Branch is precisely that, a story of a building that was once a bowling alley, then a hardware store and now, through creative design, became a new modern library that will serve its community in new and imaginative ways.
Libraries are different than those built in the 1980s that were warehouses for books. Nowadays, people’s expectations have evolved, and libraries have to adapt as well. With 14,352 sf of newly renovated space, the new building is 2,300 square feet larger than the previous library. It includes a larger programming room, small meeting rooms, a children’s area, movable furniture, fast Wifi, ebooks, and outdoor seating. While the interior is all-new, the design pays homage to the buildings bowing alley past by transforming the old benching area into fun learning stairs who’s use is up to the imagination of the user.
The new Redbridge library hits the goal of any modern library, which is to become a place where you would want to spend time by creating common spaces that encourage exploration, creation, and collaboration within the community it serves.
