Town of North Hampton
North Hampton Public Library

Civic + Cultural | Municipal:
Library

In 2013, The North Hampton Public Library Board of Trustees selected Lavallee Brensinger Architects to design a forward-thinking and 21st-century library. The Trustee’s vision goes beyond book storage and reading activities in the existing library to become a cultural center for North Hampton, a space that welcomes all and promotes social literacy through community engagement. The design embodies North Hampton and its values, brings accessible new programs to the community, and showcases its impressive collection of literature. Meetings with the community, Town Selectmen, municipal leaders, and community groups led to several options: a completely re-constructed Town Center, renovations to the existing library, and large additions to the existing library. Late in the design stage, the team switched to a new standalone building on an empty site next to the existing library. The former library building is planned to be the new home for the town’s administration.

North Hampton is a historic town with a passionate community and abundant natural resources. The design is all on one floor and the program includes common reading and staff spaces, as well as dedicated areas for children, pre-teens, teens, and seniors. A large program room will accommodate town meetings. The finishes are chosen to subtly evoke the outdoor scenes of North Hampton such as wetlands, beaches, and forests. The high-performance building envelope design embodies stewardship of these resources and has an exceptional ability to maintain temperature, and the mechanical system provides local control for every room, providing a comfortable environment for all. The building is efficient enough to meet the AIA 2030 challenge, and is net-zero-energy-ready.