Olney Branch, Montgomery County Public Libraries

This addition to a library built in the ‘80s is a hybrid of materials, new and old, with wood used as both structure and a unifying design element. The structure is primarily post-and-beam, consisting of glulam beams and a structural wood deck. Wood as a major form giver was important as the means of connecting this building to its community. Olney Library is one of the most popular libraries in the Montgomery County system. The community asked for a more visible library, one with light and views of landscapes. Soaring beams, reaching toward the street, flying lightly above the glass curtainwalls, help to achieve that goal. Librarians asked for open, flexible space, able to be reconfigured, since libraries need to evolve. Long, column-free spans of glulam beams answer that request with texture and pattern. This LEED Gold-certified project was completed in 2014 for a construction cost of $8 million.