Phoenix, Arizona

Located adjacent to an existing lake in a public park, the 25,000 sf. Cesar Chavez Regional Library is designed to serve as the “living room” for the adjacent neighborhoods. Natural light penetrates deep into the facility’s spaces through the use of floor to ceiling glass sheltered from the harsh summer sun by a large roof plane. Rainwater is collected from the roof and is stored in an existing adjacent lake, to be reused for irrigating the park. Earth berms surround the library and provide thermal mass, quietly integrating the building into the park-scape.

Catering to the community and users of all ages, the Library provides a computer classroom, tutoring room, public meeting room, public computers, wireless internet, an appropriately scaled children's area with interactive displays, story room, and teen area (christened "R3" for "read, relax, rejuvenate" by local high school students) which houses a lounge with high-tech amenities such as MP3 listening stations, and a large flat screen TV for viewing movies.

A large covered patio is tempered with exhaust air recycled from the building’s mechanical system, extending the usability of exterior space for readers to enjoy during Phoenix’s hot summer months. The LEED Silver Library has been designated as one of the Top Ten Green Projects in the nation by the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment and has been honored as a New Landmark Library from a nationwide search by the premier publication, Library Journal.  It recently received an international Green Project Award from the Russian Union of Architects.