Architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill has converted buildings in a former industrial district into a public library in Chicago, where original brick walls and bow trusses are on full display.

The West Loop Branch library is named after its location in the city's West Loop neighbourhood ? a former industrial area that is now brimming with residential towers, office buildings, restaurants and shops ? and marks the first public library in the area.
Encompassing 16,500 square feet (1,533 square metres), SOM's library occupies two conjoined structures that formerly housed television studios and offices.

The brick structures were part of the campus for Harpo Studios, the multimedia production company started by celebrity, and Chicago local, Oprah Winfrey. The company moved to West Hollywood in 2015. One structure dates to 1945, while the other is believed to have been built in the 1920s. While conceiving the library, the architects sought to retain original elements and respect the site's history.

"The two-story, adaptive reuse project preserves the building's industrial character, while creating a new cultural and social centre for the neighbourhood," said SOM in a project description.

On the front facade, the lower portion is clad in pre-rusted steel that will continue to weather over time. On the upper portion, original stucco was painted grey and overlaid with circular graphics that allude to sound waves.

Inside, the building contains a range of pr...