Location

Pittsburgh, PA

Size

Interior Renovation: 3,620 sf.
New construction: 2,600 sf.

Building a Shared Vision

Our team approached the Northland Public Library project with a commitment to building consensus through a layered and inclusive engagement process. We gathered input by polling library staff separately from the surrounding community, ensuring that a broad range of perspectives informed the design. The library distributed our survey through its website and newsletter to reach as many residents as possible, resulting in over 1,000 thoughtful responses. The demographic data provided valuable insight into what matters most to users across the library’s five municipalities. A prominent request that emerged from the feedback was the inclusion of a coffee amenity. In response, we integrated a small staffed café into the design, creating a welcoming space that enhances comfort, encourages gathering, and reflects the evolving role of the modern library.

Secure Placemaking

Enhancing safety and increasing wayfinding was a driving force behind the entire project. The new building addition serves as a glazed beacon, clearly marking the main entrance and addressing previous challenges with grade changes and confusing entry points. This thoughtful design intervention enhances visibility and accessibility, creating a secure and easy-to-navigate environment for all patrons. The original spiral stair posed significant safety risks—narrow, disorienting, and difficult to navigate, particularly during high-traffic times. Its replacement, a wider terraced stair with handrails on both sides, improved lighting, and clear visual cues, promotes safer movement and intuitive navigation throughout the library. Open sightlines help reduce blind corners, especially near the teen area, which fosters a sense of ownership, comfort, and semi-private retreat while maintaining passive supervision. 

Increasing Transparency

One of the earliest design opportunities focused on reimagining the circulation desk to improve clarity and connection. Previously, staff had limited visibility to key entry points, and the abundance of service locations left visitors unsure of where to go. In a collaborative aspirations workshop, the library team shared a clear vision: a space that feels service-forward, welcoming, and universally accessible. The new, centralized circulation desk now anchors the library’s core, offering strategic sightlines to the front door, lobby, teen space, children’s area, elevator, and café—creating a seamless and intuitive user experience. A new meeting space on the second floor, framed with floor-to-ceiling glazing and overlooking the activated seating stair, shifts programming from hidden and private to visible and engaging. With improved visibility, stronger wayfinding, and an emphasis on safety, the design delivers on the promise of transparency, accessibility, and deeper community connection.

Improving Comfort

According to the WELL Building Standard, poor acoustics are among the top complaints in shared environments, often leading to stress, cognitive fatigue, and diminished focus. At Northland Public Library, we implemented WELL’s Sound Mapping & Planning strategies early in the design phase to assess and address key acoustic challenges. A central spiral stair and reflective tile flooring once amplified sound throughout the space, disrupting quiet zones and communal areas alike. We reduced reverberation by relocating the stairs to a less central location and replacing hard finishes with linoleum and other sustainable sound-absorbing materials. The large meeting room and teen area feature acoustic glazing, reducing sound transfer while maintaining natural light transfer and visual connection. To elevate form and function, we integrated acoustic wood wool ceilings throughout—bringing cohesion to the design and creating a serene, focused environment for collaboration, study, and community use.

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