Powhatan County Library
Powhatan, Virginia
The 15,500-square-foot Powhatan County Public Library, located west of Richmond, is a 60,000-volume library and public-meeting facility completed in 2001 (photos: 2011). The new library is situated on a fifty-acre wooded site overlooking a small creek. The library design takes advantage of the outstanding landscape by “bringing the outside in.” It utilizes wood trusses, a stone fireplace, and filtered light to illuminate the major stack and reading areas of the library. The 80-foot clear-span trusses allow for unlimited flexibility and total reorganization of the space in the future. The exterior is composed of a stacked-stone foundation, vertical wood siding and insulated glass.