The $33.1 million, 35,000-sf Elkridge (Md.) branch library, which opened March 10, replaced a library half its size that was built in 1993. The bigger facility is needed for a market whose population is projected to grow by 40% to 38,000 by 2030.
Beyond lending books and DVDs, the library’s DIY Education Center lends household tools like ladders, tape measures, sanders, wheelbarrows, and sewing machines, for free (with a $1 per day late-returning charge). The building also has a 10,000-sf senior center, with its own entrance, where patrons 50 years or older can avail themselves of programs for fitness, wellness, nutrition, and technology education.
“It’s kind of a one-stop shop, and it’s offering what society is craving: hands-on learning,” observes Melanie Hennigan, AIA, President of Grimm + Parker Architects, which designed this building.
Photo: Grimm + Parker Architects
The building is located parallel to Route 1, and interior lighting that shines through its windows makes this library highly visible during evening hours. Being next to a residential neighborhood, the library reinforces its connection to the community via walking trails and walkways that cross over nearby wetlands, says Hennigan.
The Building Team on this project included: Grimm + Parker Architects (design architect), Howard County Dept. of Public Works, Howard County Library System, Howard County Office of Aging and Independence (owners reps), Costello Construction (GC), Pennoni Associates (CE), Columbia Engineering (SE), Gipe Associates (MEP), Bradley Site Design (landscape architect), Sustainable Design Consulting (LEED consultant).
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
Top 175 Architecture Firms for 2023
Gensler, HKS, Perkins&Will, Corgan, and Perkins Eastman top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Standards | Jun 26, 2023
New Wi-Fi standard boosts indoor navigation, tracking accuracy in buildings
The recently released Wi-Fi standard, IEEE 802.11az enables more refined and accurate indoor location capabilities. As technology manufacturers incorporate the new standard in various devices, it will enable buildings, including malls, arenas, and stadiums, to provide new wayfinding and tracking features.
Libraries | Mar 26, 2023
An abandoned T.J. Maxx is transformed into a new public library in Cincinnati
What was once an abandoned T.J. Maxx store in a shopping center is now a vibrant, inviting public library. The Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library (CHPL) has transformed the ghost store into the new Deer Park Library, designed by GBBN.
Libraries | Feb 26, 2023
A $17 million public library in California replaces one that was damaged in a 2010 earthquake
California’s El Centro community, about two hours east of San Diego, recently opened a new $17 million public library. With design by Ferguson Pape Baldwin Architects and engineering services by Latitude 33 Planning & Engineering, the 19,811-sf building replaces the previous library, which was built in the early 1900s, damaged by a 7.2 earthquake that struck Baja California in 2010, and demolished in 2016.
Giants 400 | Feb 9, 2023
New Giants 400 download: Get the complete at-a-glance 2022 Giants 400 rankings in Excel
See how your architecture, engineering, or construction firm stacks up against the nation's AEC Giants. For more than 45 years, the editors of Building Design+Construction have surveyed the largest AEC firms in the U.S./Canada to create the annual Giants 400 report. This year, a record 519 firms participated in the Giants 400 report. The final report includes 137 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Giants 400 | Feb 6, 2023
2022 Reconstruction Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. building reconstruction and renovation sector
Gensler, Stantec, IPS, Alfa Tech, STO Building Group, and Turner Construction top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest reconstruction sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 1, 2023
2022 Cultural Facilities Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. cultural facilities sector
Populous, DLR Group, KPFF, Arup, and Turner Construction head BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest cultural facilities sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2022 Giants 400 Report. Building types include museums, public libraries, performing arts centers, and concert venues.
Libraries | Jan 13, 2023
One of the world’s largest new libraries opens in Shanghai
Designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, Shanghai Library East covers more than 1.2 million sf, 80% of it dedicated to community activity.
Libraries | Jan 12, 2023
An adjacent community center enhances South Bend’s library
This $40 million renovation and addition are part of a larger urban revitalization scheme.
Libraries | Oct 25, 2022
Stanford’s renovated library wing syncs with the region’s tech industry
Collaborative space replaces stacks.
