WASHINGTON / Located in the heart of an award-winning, master planned community in Brambleton, VA, the new Brambleton Library brings long-awaited resources and business capacity to a growing community for life-long learning, creativity, and gathering. Designed by HGA, a national multi-disciplinary design firm, in partnership with Loudoun County and Brambleton Group, LLC, this library branch serves as the cornerstone of its town center.   

“I’m delighted this state-of-the-art library will serve this growing community,” said Loudoun County Public Library Director Chang Liu. “The greatest gift we can provide the community is free and equal access to a wide variety of resources that make a difference in people's lives.” 

Taking design cues from old regional stone mills and brick commercial-industrial architecture, HGA’s design embraces a contemporary vision of the future. The 40,000-square-foot library occupies the lower two stories of a new four-story office building and shares a common lobby with a retail area, where library patrons, employees, and locals can relax and mingle.

The exterior design reveals a bright and engaging interior. Two-story millstone boxes with punched openings echo the many historic mills of Loudoun County, while the four-story portion with red-brown brick and black iron metalwork alludes to a flexible commercial, industrial space. A playful two-story glass wall composition fronts the plaza highlighting the retail and library teen rooms.

"It was an honor for our team to work with the Loudoun County Public Libraries and one of the most prominent developers in the country on this project," said J. Patrick Halpin, AIA, principal with HGA. "We shared one goal, to design an outstanding, future-thinking library for the community while energizing the Brambleton Town Center."

Discovery Wall - Brambleton Library welcomes the community as a place of discovery and wonder. With initial input from design reviews and charrettes, the colorful and interactive Discovery Wall spans two floors and engages library patrons of all ages. The three-foot-thick wood plank wall is reminiscent of traditional log buildings and homes throughout Loudoun County.  

Children are able to walk alongside the Discovery Wall and have an interactive experience – seeing, feeling, and reading information. The wall features sturdy wood framed openings that serve a variety of functions such as reading benches, display cases, staff access openings, viewing windows into study rooms, and colorful illuminated light boxes. Where the two floors join, “logs” spill out to become the main stairs, with its welcoming casual seating and performance venue.

The wall’s diagonal orientation and associated lighting organize the interior spaces while serving as a visual wayfinding element to the wider community as pedestrians glimpse into the center of the library. 

Nurturing Minds - To support the Loudoun County Public Library mission which states in part “...to build a community by nurturing an environment where: The joy of reading and learning is celebrated; People and ideas flourish; and The Golden Rule is a way of life,” the interior spaces invite children, teens, and adults to discover learning in new ways. 

Comfortable seating encourages diverse users to linger; gathering spaces, such as the community meeting room, promote social interaction between neighbors; collaborative environments and program rooms support conversation, book clubs, and group study. Each area is embedded with technology and welcomes patrons and their device of choice. The children’s area includes playful furniture and cozy nooks for interactive play and reading. Everyone is welcome in the Makerspace, where tinkering, sharing ideas, experiential learning, and common interests bring people together. 

Design features also enhance the quality-of-life, connectivity, and employment opportunities for residents. In turn, the library includes a “laptop bar”, a mixing/recording room, and electrical access at every sitting area.

Behind The Scenes Returning books has never been more fun. Set behind glass walls inside the front entry, patrons are treated to a visual display of how Brambleton Library’s automated book return system works. 

All these interesting features, activities and flexible spaces coexist in this unique library - a library designed for people, social interaction, and even play! 

Credits:

Project:  Brambleton Library

Address:  22850 Brambleton Plaza — Brambleton, VA 

Client:  Brambleton Group, LLC

Start/Completion:  February 2017 / September 2018

Size:  40,000 SF library including:

   First Floor:

• Lobby 
• Material return and sort (glass enclosed)
• Information desk
• Children’s area/seating
• Children’s program room
• Staff area
• Makerspace 
• Mixing room/recording
• Platform stair
• Discovery wall

   Second Floor:

• Computer information area
• Laptop bar 
• Teen area
• Adult area/seating 
• Book club/meeting room 
• Adult program room 
• Quiet/focus room
• Study rooms
• Staff work areas
• Discovery wall