Five King County Libraries

King County, Washington

ROLE: landscape architecture

SCOPE OF WORK: vision planning and design through construction administration

STATUS:

	Snoqualmie – completed 2007
	Fall City – completed 2008
	Black Diamond – completed 2008
	Muckleshoot – completed 2008
	Carnation – completed 2008

CONSTRUCTION COSTS: $300,000

DESIGN/BUILD TEAM:

	BN Builders (general contractor)
	The Miller|Hull Partnership (architect)
	Springline Design (civil engineer)
	Johnson|Southerland (landscape architect)

CLIENT: King County Library System

Johnson|Southerland worked with BN Builders and the Miller|Hull Partnership to design and build five rural and small town libraries in King County in two years. The design team aimed to achieve both consistency and character, meaning that there are design, operational and construction efficiencies achieved by designing five libraries at once, but that each building and site expresses its own unique neighborhood. The sites vary from a new town center in Snoqualmie, historic downtowns in Fall City and Carnation, a rural pasture in Black Diamond, and a forest on the Muckleshoot reservation. Each library site provides:

• Opportunities for patrons to experience the unique qualities of each site—places to sit, outdoor story time areas and interpretive devices

• Appropriately scaled access and entries for a small community institution

• Sustainable storm water solutions, including rain gardens, re-infiltration areas, and pervious paving

• Sustainable plant communities that are appropriate to each site and will minimize long-term maintenance