A brick bank building in Alabama dating to the early 1900s has been transformed into a community library by Rural Studio, a student design-build programme dedicated to social projects.

The Newbern Library is located in a town of the same name with less than 200 residents, and was converted by fifth-year architecture students at Auburn University's Rural Studio ? a programme founded in 1993 by Samuel Mockbee to create architecture for disadvantaged residents in rural areas.

The recent project came about after the studio was approached by local community leaders seeking to build a new library.

"Within the town's rural context, they understood that the library could become a social centre, providing such resources as after-school programming, computer access, and the first public internet point in the community," the team said. "The Old Bank Building, part of Newbern's historic downtown, was donated by a local family to house the new library."

The design called for both renovating and enlarging the modest, flat-roofed building. Its masonry shell and glass storefront were preserved and refurbished. A simple metal canopy extends from the front facade and shelters the entrance.

In the rear of the building, the team added a 700-square-foot (65-square-metre) cubic addition clad in cypress, which contrasts with the white brickwork.
Inside, the team installed bookshelves made of birch plywood, which were milled using computer numerical control (CNC) technique...