2024-05-18T00:08:20-04:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/150344701/heatherwick-studio-unveils-first-public-library-design-in-howard-county-maryland Josh Niland 2023-03-31T17:07:00-04:00 >2024-03-15T01:45:58-04:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/01/011427ae1fa005fdc659d5cab3a459f3.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><p><a href="https://archinect.com/heatherwick" target="_blank">Heatherwick Studio</a> has released details of their first commissioned public library project in the town of Columbia, Maryland.</p> <p>Featuring a climbable fa&ccedil;ade, the five-story library opens to the city&rsquo;s main promenade with a double-height atrium and a series of transversing exterior terraces lined with native plant species while providing sweeping views of nearby Lake Kittamaqundi.&nbsp;</p> <p>The studio says its design is meant to &ldquo;reflect the changed role of the library and serve a community with a rich heritage of fostering diversity and promoting wellbeing.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p> <figure><p><a href="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/57/57eb113f03df6e3d7a88fa2f46a06aff.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&amp;w=1028" target="_blank"><img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/57/57eb113f03df6e3d7a88fa2f46a06aff.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&amp;w=514"></a></p><figcaption>Image: Devisual for Heatherwick Studio</figcaption></figure><p>Columbia was first developed as a planned community under the progressive vision of founder <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/james-w-rouses-legacy-better-living-through-design-180951187/" target="_blank">James Rouse</a>, a prominent local developer known for espousing his conception of &ldquo;cities as gardens for the growing of people.&rdquo; Their contribution, therefore, looks to honor this legacy and will serve as a font for educational programs and other activities in line with Rouse&rsquo;s philosophy.</p> <figure><p><a href="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/1d/1d442633df254925b55c3c60820c3020.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&amp;w=1028" target="_blank"><img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/1d/1d442633df254925b55c3c60820c3020.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&amp;w=514"></a></p><figcaption>Image: Devisual for Heat...</figcaption></figure>