Clayton Arvin

Ann Arbor District Library

343 S 5th Ave, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Give and Take Studio Cumulative Project:
Design a new building to house the various functions and services provided by the Ann Arbor District Library. Design should include some “Plus” program, an additional space providing a service not typical to public libraries.

The design intention for the new Downtown Library sets users on a journey across the site which cumulates in the entrance to the library. The path passes by the branch of the buildings housing the “Plus” program: an Arts Library, intended to house prints for check out and artist works by community artists, an accompying public art studio, and a series of incubator spaces intended to house the work of small businesses and artists looking to make a start in the community. Upon reaching the main entrance, users can circulate through the staircase spiraling through the central core. Print collections take up the floors above, held in a place honor as the central function of the library. Below are tech functions of the library, from computer space to space dedicated to equipment lending. The bottom floor houses the children’s space, which opens to the outside, but, due to its situation below grade, is protected visually. Study rooms and meeting rooms bridge the divide between the two branches, removed from the activity of the main spaces but accessible to all areas of the building.

Fall 2021