The North Boulder Library, designed by New York-based architectural firm WORKac, represents a significant step forward in public architecture, redefining the role of a library in the contemporary urban landscape. Situated at the intersection of Broadway and Three Mile Creek in Boulder, Colorado, the project was conceived as a response to an open proposal issued in 2018 by the Boulder Public Library. Rather than pursuing an overtly striking form to achieve iconic status, as many competitors did, WORKac proposed a building whose impact would stem from its sustainability, community engagement, and contextual sensitivity.
North Boulder Library Technical Information
- Architects1-29: WORKac
- Location: North Boulder, Colorado, United States
- Client: City of Boulder
- Area: 1,190 m2 | 12,800 Sq. Ft.
- Project Year: 2018 – 2024
- Photographs: © Bruce Damonte
Today and every day we endeavor to render architecture more human, to turn the pragmatic fantastic, and to reclaim the ‘best’ in ‘best practice’ away from the technocratic and towards the creative.
– Amale Andraos and Dan Wood
North Boulder Library Photographs
North Boulder Library Design Intent
The library serves a diverse community, including young professionals, artists, and the city’s largest Spanish-speaking population. After an eight-year process, including an extensive three-year community engagement phase with over twenty public design presentations, the North Boulder Library opened in June 2024. This iterative collaboration process between architects and community members shaped a design deeply rooted in its locale while maintaining a broader architectural significance.
Boulder’s geographical context, located between the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains, has historically informed its architectural vernacular. The library’s triangular site demanded a carefully considered architectural response, balancing urban connectivity with environmental sensitivity. WORKac’s design achieves this by orienting the building to maximize views toward the Flatirons, minimizing its visual impact on neighboring residences while fostering an open, inviting civic presence.
The library is conceived as an urban connector, providing seamless access to the residential community to the north and the Fourmile Canyon Creek Park to the south. The site plan encourages pedestrian movement, reinforcing that libraries should be porous, accessible spaces rather than isolated monuments.
The library’s irregular geometry—an interplay of angular forms—responds to the site’s constraints while generating a dynamic, non-hierarchical spatial experience. The building’s low northern side respects the scale of the surrounding residential area, while the higher southern elevation engages with the park and creek.
Internally, the central public spaces are elevated to the second floor, a strategy that allows for after-hours access to community and ESL classrooms through an accessible ramp, transforming circulation into an active, participatory experience. A public art installation by Daily Tous les Jours enhances this element, playing music as visitors ascend or descend the ramp. The ground floor, meanwhile, remains open and flexible, featuring multiple entry points that encourage a fluid movement between indoor and outdoor spaces.
Materiality, Structure, and Sustainability Strategies
WORKac employs a restrained yet expressive material palette that balances durability, sustainability, and aesthetic clarity. The exterior features standing seam cladding and ACM panels, which define its crisp geometric volumes, while large glazed sections create a visual permeability between the interior and exterior. Internally, the exposed structural ceiling adds acoustic performance and raw, expressive quality to the space.
From its inception, the North Boulder Library was envisioned as a sustainable civic space, initially targeting net-zero energy performance. Though some aspects were scaled back due to economic constraints following the COVID-19 pandemic, the project maintains an impressive environmental agenda:
- A rooftop solar array provides a substantial portion of the building’s energy.
- A rainwater garden with native, pollinator-friendly vegetation mitigates stormwater runoff and supports local biodiversity.
- Daylighting and passive cooling strategies reduce reliance on artificial lighting and mechanical systems.
This approach aligns with WORKac’s broader ethos of embedding sustainability into public projects without aesthetic compromise or technological spectacle.
Broader Architectural Significance and Impact
The North Boulder Library redefines libraries’ traditional role, transforming them into vibrant community hubs that extend beyond book-lending institutions. The design fosters an inclusive environment that engages people of all ages and backgrounds by integrating literacy programs, public gathering spaces, and interactive elements such as the Maker Kitchen and Edible Garden.
North Boulder Library Plans
North Boulder Library Image Gallery
About WORKac
WORKac, founded by Amale Andraos and Dan Wood, is a New York-based architecture firm known for its innovative approach to public, cultural, and educational projects. Their work blends environmental sustainability, urban engagement, and playful design strategies, often reimagining conventional building typologies. With projects like the Kew Gardens Hills Library, Miami Museum Garage, and Edible Schoolyards, WORKac consistently challenges architectural norms, prioritizing community-driven and socially responsive design.
Credits and Additional Notes
- Principals: Amale Andraos, Dan Wood
- Project Architects: Nevin Blum, Troy Lacombe, Matt Voss
- Design Team Members: Leslie Degrou, Anne Erichsen, Kelly Lee, Maurizio Bianchi Mattioli, Nicolas Nefiodow, Clara Pugsley, Men Yushan
- Structural Engineering: StudioNYL
- Facade Engineering: StudioNYL
- MEP Engineering: Design Mechanical, Inc.
- Electrical Engineering: Matsuo Engineering
- Civil Engineering: JVA Consulting Engineers
- Lighting Design: Tillotson Design Associates
- Landscape Design: JB Fieldworks
- Public Art Installation: Daily tous les hours
- Graphic Design: afreeman
- Standing Seam Cladding: Elevate
- ACM Panels: Alucobond
- HRA Roofing: American Hydrotech
- TPO Roofing: Holcim Elevate
- Windows/Storefronts: Kawneer
- Glazing: Guardian Glass
- Entry Doors: Kawneer
- Sectional Doors: Overhead Door Corp.
- Walk-off Carpet: Shaw Industries
- Linoleum Flooring: Forbo
- Floor and Wall Tile: Daltile
- Plastic Laminate: Wilsonart
- Quartz and Solid Surface: Wilsonart
- Library Shelving: Montel
- Spiral Slide: Swing Set Mall
- Climbing Net: InCord
