HERCULES PUBLIC LIBRARY*

Branch Library
Hercules, California
completed in 2005
* work performed while employed with will bruder+partners

The new Hercules Public Library has been conceived to fulfill the charge to create a landmark public building, a welcoming community gathering place, and a functional, efficient vessel of knowledge and discovery. Sited on a raised plinth of land, the library will be a visible beacon from the freeway—while visitors enjoy long vistas from its reading room. The main spaces of the library unfold around the crystalline ellipse of the sky garden—placed at the heart of the building with carefully calibrated sun angles. The functional choreography and aesthetics of the Hercules Public Library are the result of extensive research, community workshops and public participation. This is coupled with careful observation of the region and place and its optimism and growth. The building will be the culmination of these experiences - generating a timeless, vibrant library for the community.