From Dialogue to Design: Creating Vibrant Public Spaces at the North Boulder Library:
- 1 Hours
- LU/HSW
This course explores the transformative journey of the North Boulder Library in Boulder, Colorado—completed in June 2024—through the lens of community-driven design and architectural problem-solving. WORKac principal Amale Andraos presents a case study illustrating how community engagement shaped this 12,800 square-foot library’s cohesive vision, from site selection through design development and value engineering to final construction. The project showcases successful strategies to meet the needs of diverse stakeholders while navigating substantial challenges, including a significant COVID-19-related budget shortfall. Through examples of community-driven design, passive environmental strategies, public space programming, and the integration of technology and arts into public architecture, the project demonstrates how design professionals can maintain design integrity to meet community priorities, sustainability goals, and budget constraints to create meaningful public spaces that serve diverse populations.
Recognize how extensive public engagement processes shape key design decisions to create spaces that effectively serve their communities.
Analyze how architectural solutions can address multiple stakeholder needs while balancing competing priorities for views, access, and programming.
Develop strategies for managing budget challenges to maintain core project elements that promote the public welfare.
Identify successful approaches to implementing long-term community infrastructure projects that best prioritize the needs of diverse stakeholders.
