The City of Cedar Park Public Library is a 47,000-square-foot steel and timber structure nestled among a grove of heritage trees and serves as a social hub for the City. It offers designated areas for children, teens, adults, and multi-purpose community spaces, along with classrooms designed with full A/V capabilities. Maintaining a connection to the surrounding landscape, the library incorporates indoor-outdoor spaces and ample windows to maximize natural daylight.
The City sought to celebrate the landscape and the library’s positioning within the Bell District, and Lake Flato, the architect, was inspired to create a warm, cozy design that anchored the library within its surroundings. This vision influenced material selections, color palettes, and design decisions to ensure a comfortable and inviting atmosphere.
Kristen Huguley, campaign director for the Cedar Park Public Library Foundation, emphasized that the library was meant to feel like the community’s living room rather than a solitary space.
The ground floor houses a maker space, community rooms, and a massive bookshelf-inspired wall that buffers activity areas from quiet reading rooms. The main lobby, a double-height space with glass walls and terrazzo floors, was designed to welcome the public inside. The vibrant and interactive young children’s library space is located on the first floor, with the main library repository and quiet study areas located on the second floor. The library’s backyard features a playground by Danish designer Monstrum, with play structures shaped like giant wooden birds.
