Project: Old Metairie Branch Library
Location: Metairie, Louisiana
Markets Served: Cultural, Libraries
Imaginative Design to Engage Young Readers
The Old Metairie branch of the Jefferson Parish Public Library in New Orleans recently reopened after undergoing a $1.5 million renovation. The library had been closed since the summer of 2019 and reopened in late November.
The Architecture firm, Sizeler Thompson Brown, brought in our Consultants in a very early design phase to assist in developing the concept they had in mind – a typical Old Metairie backyard. The concept was further accomplished with large windows looking out into a new outdoor park shaded by a 110 year-old oak tree with seating for young readers and their families.
The overall goal of the space was to engage the youth in the community and get them excited about reading.
About the Solution
The interior scope includes ADA signage as well as wayfinding signs and a prominent feature wall – all of which accomplish the desired motif of the local landscape. The feature wall includes oversized sculpted blades of grass, flowers, insects, along with local wildlife and plants. Meetings with the Architect consisted of layering several thicknesses of materials for each creature and greenery to achieve the perfect three-dimensional look.
As shown in the photos above, the initial concept drawn by the Interior Designer merely a year before the installation was remarkably similar to the finished product.
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