Project Data:

Completion Date:     4/9/2024

Square Footage:      17560

Building Use:           Library

Project Description:

Wimberley was founded as a trading post at the confluence of two rivers. Today the Library exists as a confluence of people, culture and community. When it was time to expand the library, the design approach became a confluence of old and new. The old beloved library structure and the new sustainably sensitive expansion. The coming together of these influences is the story of Wimberley. The design of this project is informed by history, shaped by preservation, and dependent on water.

Water is the lifeblood of Texas Hill Country. Thirteen rivers have their headwaters there, and for centuries Texans have understood the critical importance of protecting them. As the population of Hill Country has grown, pressures on water supplies have too. Rooted in an integrated water management approach known as One Water, the project implements water conservation and water quality protection strategies while educating the community about water issues. Drawing on the history as a trading post at the junction of the Blanco River and Cypress Creek, the building and site concepts centered on the notion of confluence, bringing together the people of the community. Water informed the siting and building forms as well as the native, drought-tolerant landscapes. Two single-pitched roofs define the reading room inside, while guiding and directing stormwater to a cistern which functions as a teaching tool. 100% of water is managed on site, with bioretention basins integrated as natural landscape areas and playgrounds.

Preservation of existing mature Live Oak and Cedar Elms shaped the footprint of the library expansion. Some of the precious oaks were so close to the existing library, an internal bridge connection from the old to the new, feathered in between the oaks. While the rotation of the expansion gave us better solar orientation, and gave the library some street presence, the true purpose of the rotation was to fit the 8,960 SF expansion in, without disturbing any of the oak trees on the site.

The existing library, a beloved treasure in the community and as a true community asset, is independently owned and operated by a local library foundation, but the expansion looks to the future and while acknowledging the roots of the library. The expansion doubles the library’s size, but 100% of the expansion went to the children’s library, maker space for the teens and seniors, and a large community room, reflecting the needs of the growing and community.

The existing building is partially clad in a hill country limestone that seems to simply pop out of the ground when you dig. The use of this same limestone became a central element to use on the expansion, grounding the building in the site. The rotated building expansion gives proper solar orientation allowing north facing glass to create an inside/outside connection from the children’s library to the natural surroundings, and wood siding brings warmth and a natural feeling to the façades.

Design for Equitable Communities, Design for Ecosystems, Design for Water , Design for Energy, Design for Resources 

Community: The 8,960 SF expansion of the existing library doubled the existing library size, but 100% of the expansion went to the children’s library, maker space for the teens, and a large community room.

Respect for the Past: The existing library was a beloved treasure in the community. The expansion looks to the future and acknowledges the roots of the library. The existing building is partially clad in a hill country limestone that seems to simply pop out of the ground when you dig. This became a key element to use on the expansion.

Preservation: The library expansion was delicately sited to preserve large, mature, and cherished oak trees on the site. Some of the oaks were so close to the existing library, an internal bridge connection from the old to the new was created, feathering in the expansion between the existing mature oaks. While the rotation of the expansion provided better solar orientation, and gave the library street presence, the true purpose of the rotation was to fit the expansion in, without disturbing any of the oak trees on the site.

Water Conservation: In the Texas Hill Country, the community subscribes to a policy called One Water. In essence it says, the water hits your site, once, do everything you can to preserve, conserve, and treat that water before it leaves your site. The existing water flow patterns across the site would have been interrupted by our expansion. The bridge connection between the oak trees, allows the water to flow across the site and under the bridge connection so as to disturb the natural water flow as little as possible. Rainwater cisterns are used to capture runoff from the building to use for irrigation later. And a bioswale was built at the low end of the site to hold and treat all the stormwater before it leaves the site.

Completion Date:     4/9/2024

Square Footage:      17560

Building Use:           Library

Location:                 400 Farm to Market Rd. Wimberley, TX

LPA, Inc.

Wimberley Village Library - Owner

MTR Engineers - Civil Engineer
Alpha Consulting Engineers - Structural Engineer
Cleary Zimmermann - MEP Engineer
Combs Consulting Group - Technology, A/V, & Security

LPA, Inc.

Marksmen General Contractors, LLC

Matthew Niemann Photography