Boston Public Library, Allston Branch

The new Honan-Allston Branch Library is a single story 20,000 square foot building along a prominent neighborhood street. The building addresses issues that are important to the Boston Public Library, including maximum visual control within the library, a reading garden that serves as many spaces as possible, off-hours access for community use and a prominent reading room on the front of the building.

The scheme divides the building into three parallel zones. The front zone contains all the active, information-gathering program components, including the stacks. The rear zone contains all of the meeting and program spaces, which have off-hours community use. The middle zone is very transparent, with alternating gardens and glass pavilion reading rooms. By creating several small garden spaces rather than a single large garden, each reading room is able to have a garden on both sides. This organization allows a beautiful Beech tree specimen to be preserved in one of the gardens.