Brown County East Branch Library

Walking through the new Brown County East Branch Library, you would never guess the light-filled, open facility used to be a health club. Creative design and engineering made the metamorphosis possible, said Dan Wiitanen, senior project architect for Somerville Architects & Engineers.

“Working with Brown County Library, we created a destination for the community,” he said. “We created a variety of spaces for the users such as the new children’s area, meeting spaces, community room and lounge with fireplace.”

Located on Green Bay’s east side, the new space was separated by a masonry-bearing wall, which needed to be removed. Wiitanen said a new structural column and beam system was built, making the library space open and flexible.

“This space originally had minimal windows. To create a space with ample natural light, large portions of the existing exterior walls were opened to allow for expanses of glass,” he said.

The adjacent outdoor space is accessible from the interior of the library and adds to the overall library experience and usability. New glass bump-out additions to the side of the building face the outdoor area creating bright spaces where the outdoor space can also be experienced when the weather is not as nice.

The fireplace lounge serves as the library’s hub. “All other spaces radiate from that space and are easily accessible,” Wiitanen said. “It also acts as the ‘heart’ of the library and its focal point. It is the type of space where community members can meet others.”

The new library also has a drive-thru service for user convenience. Adding the drive-thru required altering the existing parking lot, which slows traffic and makes the area safer.