Designed by inFORM studio, In 2005, The Ann Arbor District Library (AADL) purchased approximately 4 acres of property for a new branch library to serve the Northeast quadrant of the city of Ann Arbor. This was to be the third branch library constructed by the current administration since 2002 and would replace a 4000 sq.ft. branch library within an existing strip mall located along a nearby commercial corridor. The site, heavily wooded and densely vegetated, is located on the Southwest corner of Huron Parkway and Traverwood Drive.Prior to beginning Schematic Design, we proposed a Research Phase to the Library Administration & Board. This phase consisted of a series of mapping operations whereby overlapping criteria was pulled together, overlapped and plotted to determine dormant relationships, veiled potentials and to assist in the design method. Photography: Justin Machonachie Photography
Our first steps within the Research Phase included the examination of the following research topics;

– Demographics ? library usage/population/growth

– Media unit – Hierarchies & relationships

– Main to branch

– Complimentary Typology

– Programming

– Staff / User interface

– Collection & Circulation

– Sustainable strategies
Photography: James Haefner Photography
It was not so much the numbers that were important but rather the trends that we began to see, allowing us to anticipate next moves while maintaining a c...