VMDO Architects

Changing community needs and expectations are reshaping the role of the George Mason Regional Library in Fairfax County, Virginia. Working with library staff, our team has developed a program and proposed multiple alternative design solutions for modernizing the facility. The proposed work involves a comprehensive renovation of the interior spaces and a strategic expansion to include new and expanded program areas developed during the study.

Our collaboration began with site visits to gather information and document the existing building. With this initial research in hand, VMDO engaged with the library staff to learn more about the library’s building and its community. Through a series of interviews and surveys, we learned about the staff – who they are, how they work, and how they serve their community through the library. We asked questions to uncover insights about how the facility does and does not support them, and what the building needs to better serve its constituents, now and in the future. Our conversations ranged from the history and culture of Fairfax County to the people that use the library, to how the staff operate on a day-to-day basis, to how changing needs and expectations are reshaping the role of the library in the community.

VMDO brings a thoughtful, intentional approach to these conversations. We design the programming process with the same level of care and attention that we bring to each phase of the project. We know the importance of doing the research, asking good questions, and listening, and we have the expertise to engage in dialogue about the history and future of library design. Our library design lead, Jim Kovach, brings decades of library design experience to guiding the programming process. With his knowledge and experience, we can structure conversations ranging from broad trends to operational considerations, to architectural design strategies and schedule and cost considerations.

For the George Mason Regional Library, this process resulted in a proposal for an expanded library program. Working with the library staff, we identified the need for a new performance space and outdoor spaces to host a range of meetings, events, and celebrations in support of community arts, recreation, and education. There is also demand for a variety of learning, study, and lounge spaces to welcome and accommodate the diversity in the library’s user group. This includes reading rooms for children and teens, individual and group study rooms, a media lab / maker space, a kitchenette, and a communal area with study tables and lounge seating. The program also proposes reducing the square footage dedicated to collections and book storage to make space for the new public areas, and reallocating space from the circulation desk to modernize the concierge service area.

After developing an initial program for the new library, VMDO and Fairfax County embarked on a six-month collaborative effort to develop multiple potential design solutions. Our team designed a series of interactive workshops, meetings, and one-on-one interviews to engage members of the library administration in the design process. This collaboration yielded a feasibility study that provides Fairfax County with a menu of options to consider as they plan a way forward.

Each option proposes strategies for renovating and expanding the facility to accommodate the library program within the constraints of the site, schedule, and budget. The principal drivers behind the development of each option included the programming requirements and important design factors like providing access to daylight, views, fresh air, and outdoor spaces, improving visibility and wayfinding throughout the building, promoting the identity of the new library through architectural and landscape design, and creating a pathway to Net Zero by incorporating a geothermal system to generate renewable energy on-site.

The study presents alternatives that allow the owner to weigh the relative pros and cons of various cost, phasing, and architectural design strategies, and identify the solution that achieves their vision for the new library. VMDO looks forward to continuing our collaboration with the library system to revitalize the George Mason Regional Library as a center for community life in Fairfax County.