As a center for gathering, life-long learning, and discovery, the new Philip & Jerry Miller Library in Castle Rock, Colorado, simultaneously complements the aesthetic of other buildings in the seven-location system while also imbuing a design and presence unique to its surroundings and community. The new library meets the urban edge to establish a civic presence and reveal program spaces within to both vehicles and pedestrians as a gateway to the rapidly developing downtown. By interweaving natural textures and biophilic elements to merge indoor and outdoor spaces, the library creates a distinct sense of place in a changing downtown.

Outdoor courtyards on the east and west facades welcome users in, but also provide a bit of open space relief when future development around the building is maximized.  The building also embraces its place by maximizing views to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains from the second floor.

The new building is 17,000 square feet larger than the 46-year-old former grocery store used as the library for nearly two decades. Two-thirds of the building is dedicated to the community with collection areas, meeting and gathering spaces, and the county’s archives and reading room. The remainder of the building houses staff operations for the library system.

The corrugated and weathered steel-clad exterior recalls the rugged Colorado landscape and Western vernacular.  The pattern of corrugated and flat steel is repeated inside in a contrasting bright white along the library’s central lobby, which separates the community library space on the north from the office area on the south. Wood on the underside of soffits and interior study spaces pulls a similar warmth and texture as the weathered steel to the building’s interior.  A quiet contemplative upper floor contrasts with a vibrant event hall and youth services ground floor.