The lighting design of the Adams Street Library embraces the changing use of libraries in the technology-driven world we now live in, while celebrating the eclectic nature of the discovered existing structure. Most of the architectural footprint is dedicated to children’s programming, community gathering spaces, and open working tables with free Wi-Fi rather than the tall, endless bookstacks of the past. The light levels, while adequate to read and find books on shelves, are not excessive, with a simple approach of lighting architectural surfaces, minimizing glare, and keeping the added ceiling planes as clean as possible.

The library intentionally places the children’s reading room at the heart of the space, as this particular program was lacking and important to residents in the surrounding neighborhoods. The lighting emphasizes this center, with continuous perimeter mounted LED fixtures along the walls of the space to highlight the curving forms and graphic wall coverings, paired with a circular up/down pendant in a colorful ceiling pop-up. 

Textured brick walls and timber ceilings were discovered during pre-demolition probes and deemed too beautiful to cover up. The design evolved to include sweeping uplight coves paired with well-shielded cylindrical downlight pendants to highlight this discovered treasure while still providing adequate light levels on the shelves.

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