Located in the center of Cedar Park’s The Bell District development, one of the main goals of the new library is to be a civic gathering space, designed to encourage users of all ages to visit.
The courtyard space of the new library will be surrounded by dozens of large heritage trees, and have a fenced youth area, gathering spaces, contemplation spaces and an exterior fountain. Materials used on the exterior portion of the building include wood, metal panel, glazing, bluestone, limestone and glazed brick—intended for durability, lasting for years to come.
For the interior design, the developers focused on “warm, comfortable, cozy feeling materials” as well as views to the exterior and an interactive youth play area, Lake Flato Architects project architect Sophia Razzaque said.
The interior of the new library will also have a story time reading room, low-tech maker space and high-tech maker space—low-tech is hands-on arts and crafts, and high-tech is computer-based 3D printing and laser cutting—a classroom, a teen area, an adult quiet space, group study rooms, a multipurpose room and a reading room.
“It’s super exciting,” Council Member Anne Duffy said at the meeting. “This is going to be such an activated place. I imagine that there’s people who don’t even go to the library ever that are going to be there on day one, so this is super exciting.”
The new public library will be funded through Cedar Park’s 2015 voter-approved bonds. It is anticipated to open in fall 2024.
