Gould Evans is no stranger to executing award-winning library and community-focused projects as a nationally recognized architecture and design firm. From the expansion of the 1970's Brutalist-style Lawrence Public Library to the renovations of New Orleans Public Libraries, the team at Gould Evans just added another prize-winning library project to their portfolio, the Olathe Indian Creek Public Library. 

The building has received accolades like the Honor Award by AIA Kansas City for its concept of developing a hub for "community and content creation — instead of only content consumption." On November 4, it was announced that the firm received its 6th Chicago Athenaeum Award for the Kansas-based project. The institution's American Architectural Awards program highlights new and "cutting-edge" design projects within the United States. 

The firm's Associate Principal Sean Zaudke shared: "Libraries of today are no longer about books or maker spaces (although Indian Creek contains both). The library is more about quickly refocusing and repurposing its functions based upon community needs, and the design places an emphasis on flexibility and embracing change."

Gould Evan's adaptive reuse project also serves as a community-driven project thanks to collaborators such as the City of Olathe and library programmer Group 4. Zaudke adds that the 47,000-square-foot library "focuses on the functional transformation of the traditional library concept into a 21st-century model" in two ways: "designing for adaptability to future change and by integrating sustainability strategies throughout the design, including the 2030 challenge energy reduction, daylighting and a focus on community wellness."

The firm expressed this particular library project was a "story of transformation." When discussing their approach to libraries and the future of library design, Gould Evans explained: "The transformation focuses on the conversion of a vacant, big-box retail structure — inspired by daylight and a connection to nature that was non-existent in the big-box context."

View images of the library's interiors below.

View Archinect's coverage of The Chicago Athenaeum's 2021 International Architecture Award recipients here. 

To learn more about the 2021 Chicago Athenaeum awards program click here.