Pursuing LEED Silver Certification

The new Durham County Regional Branch Libraries are designed to support the County’s long-range plan of providing the region with state-of-the-art lifelong learning and literacy resources. The new 25,000 sf facilities provide major spaces such as a large meeting room, administrative areas, adult collection, young adult collection, children’s collection, various reading / study spaces, computer areas, reference area, and periodicals.

The South Regional Branch Library is a variation of the prototype library design for the East and North Regional Branches. The building entry and the exterior materials have been modified to simplify the design and provide a more prominent entry to the one story building.

The South Regional Branch of the Durham Library is located on the site of the former Lowe’s Grove School. The Library site is rectangular in nature and situated along South Alston Avenue, just south of the sole remaining building from the former school. The long dimensions of the site are north-south and the building has been oriented so that its long dimensions run east-west, providing optimal conditions for daylighting through the clerestory glazing in the building.

The site plan is developed around a variety of outdoor spaces. Additionally, a strong formal connection has been established between the South Branch Library and the remaining Lowe’s Grove School building. The main entrance has been situated along a created axis which connects the parking area, building entry, a small lawn area, and the Lowe’s Grove School building. Courtyards have been defined at the east and west ends of the building which create usable outdoor areas for visitors and programs. These outdoor areas also assist in shielding patrons from the street edge to the west and future development to the east.