The Moss Library at Agnes Irwin is the dedicated library space for the Upper School at this independent school for girls.  The original library was constructed in the 1960s in an austere building featuring interior walls and ceilings of exposed, reinforced concrete.  The library was located on two levels, with little connection between them; each level functioned as a separate space, joined by a narrow stairway. 

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Our plan to visually connect the two main levels of the library called for cutting a large opening in the floor of the upper level to allow visibility to the level below. We enhanced that visibility by designing a mezzanine-level reading lounge, adjacent to an outside glass wall.  All three levels are linked by open stairs with glass railings. The increased visibility at all levels makes the 6,500 sf library easy to understand and supervise.

The new interior space is a more refined, modernist environment with ash paneling, slatted acoustical ceilings, limestone bases, muted carpeting, customized task lamps and ceiling fixtures, and cherry tables and chairs.  Within its original footprint, the transformed library is welcoming and more spacious.