Palmetto Library | Houser Walker Architecture

Designed by Houser Walker Architecture, The Palmetto Library is a new, $3.5M facility serving the communities of Palmetto and Chattahoochee Hills in a largely rural but developing region just outside of Atlanta, GA.

Our design for the library takes inspiration from local vernacular structures and, in particular, a nearby large agricultural barn. We were inspired by the barn’s presence in the landscape, it’s interior volume and material presence. As we began considering our design and its response to the local terrain and climate, we saw the barn as a befitting formal prototype. In response to the program needs, we took the volumetric profile of the existing structure and sliced it into quarters, with each section containing one portion of the full program. Through a subsequent series of adjustments to its volume, views, winds, and daylight, each “box” was adjusted, rotated, and openings inserted. Filling the space between the “boxes” are a sky-lit entry sequence and building services. The resulting composition recalls the profile of the barn while transforming it into a presence more suited to a public structure.

Each ‘box’ contains a portion of the overall program. The adult and children’s resource areas will act as large reading rooms, with ceilings soaring to 18+ feet and carefully controlled natural light filtering through space. A community meeting room occupies one ‘box’ and the back of house staff workplaces another.
Exterior materials include a composite siding rain screen, zinc roofing, corrugated cor-ten steel, and siding to recall the original barn. Each ‘box’ is painted a slightly different color and paired with a different regional wood at the interior. The structure is certified, LEED Silver.

Project Info:
Architects: Houser Walker Architecture
Location: 9111 Cascade Palmetto Hwy, Palmetto, GA 30268, United States
Lead Architects: Gregory Walker, David Esterline
Area: 10500.0 ft2
Project Year: 2014
Photographs: Liam Strain
Manufacturers: Interface, James Hardie, MetalTech-USA, Pilkington
Project Name: Palmetto Library