322 The Westport Library - Adaptation Studies

Date: Project June 2019; Studies June 2020
Designed by: HMA2 architects
Credit: Hma2.com


The Westport Library renovation was designed by HMA2 Architects and completed in June of 2019. As the library is reopening to the public the central forum needs to be adapted to the evolving needs of our times. The challenges presented by the pandemic have amplified the necessity for community hubs to have the elasticity to accommodate their users in safer ways. In order to enable the public spaces in the library to engage and collect people the existing assets were used to define new patterns for circulation and inhabitation. For cultural and educational activities to commence safely, furniture and screening system layouts that would facilitate social distancing and recommended guidelines for one-way circulation were suggested. These permutations illustrate experimental templates for resuming programming as facilities begin to reopen in a public realm adapting to a new reality.