As lead architect and project designer, we were challenged with transforming the sixty-five year old Fones Brothers warehouse into the Central Arkansas Library System’s new 116,000 square feet Main Library in Little Rock, Arkansas. The five story warehouse building was selected as the library site for the structural strength of its concrete frame, as well as its prominent location in the heart of the city’s convention and business sectors. Polk Stanley Wilcox also managed the project team for CALS.
The design adds a new brick and precast facade to the building to transform the industrial building into a suitable center of knowledge. The four sides of the building’s parapet are inscribed with the names of great literary figures. Throughout the interior, lasting materials are utilized such as wood paneled shelving, limestone floors, metal framed glazing, and wood ceilings. The interior also reflects the client’s special emphasis on youth education. Existing columns, resembling ones in the Egyptian Temple of Ammon, were left exposed to illustrate structural principals. Portions of mechanical systems are exposed to promote an understanding of how they work and to allow for future changes.
Outside, a free standing auditorium in a landscaped courtyard relates back to the neighboring Arkansas Territorial Restoration. Wherever possible, “green architecture” was practiced through the use of recycled materials and photovoltaic systems to power the exterior lighting and emergency systems. Five different mechanical systems were compared to determine the most effective system for the library.
