Octagon, peaked atrium solve library's design puzzle

A fireplace, coffee bar, drive-through service, fast Internet access and plenty of meeting space - no,we're not talking about a hip, new coffeehouse.

These are some of the features of the new Spanish Springs Library now under construction.

Forget the worn-out stereotype of staid, quiet buildings where people go just to drop off or pick up books, and nobody talks above a whisper.

"Today's library is a destination, rather than a stopping-off place," says Washoe County Library Director Nancy Cummings.

"It's less a repository and more of a community gathering place."

Design of the $6.3 million Spanish Springs Library, scheduled to open in May, reflects that trend from its setting to its fine interior details.

The 30,000-square-foot building is in the Lazy 5 Regional Park on Pyramid Lake Highway.

The park not only provides a beautiful natural setting; the location places the library right where people gather anyway.

A growing number of communities are placing their libraries in parks for this very reason.

The parks and recreation facilities and libraries build upon one another's strengths, says architect Tom Findley, vice president of Omaha,Neb.-headquartered Leo A.

Daly & Associates, the lead architect and engineer for the Spanish Springs Library.His firm worked, too,with Hershenow & Klippenstein Architects in Reno, the local affiliate architect.

The location also provided an opportunity to create a community landmark, Findley says, but that came with a challenge - coordinating with the park's two other buildings which have modest, ranch-style designs.

The key was creating a library that would mesh well with those other buildings, but still would be distinctive.

The design solution: an octagon-shaped building with a high, pyramid-like roof.

The unusual roof silhouette will be easily visible from the well-traveled Pyramid Highway.

Inspired by the area's history, the building's shape is reminiscent of the Native American lodges where communities gathered.

"The architectural language tells the story about the people who built it,where they came from and where they're going," Findley says.

History is reflected inside, too.

The carpeting in the center floor will feature a version of the traditional Paiute circle of points basket design.

Cummings says the library is also looking for sponsors to provide funding for rock art and an educational kiosk by the Nevada Rock Art Association.

A committee of library staff and board members, county officials and community representatives worked with the architects on the design.

"From the beginning the round design was clearly what we liked best," says project manager Anthony McMillen of the Washoe County Public Works Department.

Although a round design wouldn't work that well for an office,McMillen says, it provided the openness ideal for today's library.Windows provide views of the park from all sides of the building, and the roof features an enormous skylight and smaller windows to let in lots of natural light.

The whole library is on one floor, so the staff can work from a centralized customer service area for convenience and efficiency, Cummings says.

The octagonal shape also lent itself well to designating zones, including a teen zone, small meeting zone and comfortable spaces for quiet reading and study.

In addition, the building will feature a community room, which will be accessible to groups even when the library isn't open.

Features such as the fireplace and coffee bar, meanwhile,will invite patrons to linger.

Trends in self-service also drove the design - from the drive-through window where patrons can deposit and pick up books to the self-service checkout areas."People want convenience and immediate response," Cummings says.

Flexibility was another key goal of the design.

Just as today's modern offices must be flexible so they can respond to technology advances, libraries must be able to adapt so they can stay on the cutting edge.

Far from causing the demise of libraries, computer technology has become an integral tool.

The Spanish Springs library is designed so things can be moved if necessary, and parts of the library can serve dual functions.

Reading areas, for instance, are also wired for computer use.

"When I was a kid, a library was a dusty old building with books in it.Now a library is one of the plazas of our community," Findley says."A library should be an exciting, invigorating and inspiring place that's comfortable and inviting to the old and young and everyone in between."