AD2 // PARASOL Library

SPRING 2023 // CRITIC CLAIRE MORIARTY // Community gathering space exploring the cultural and climactic effects of a parasol roof

Waterford is a small town located in upstate New York beside the Erie Canal. Like many small towns today, Waterford’s population has been on the decline, with people moving to urban areas in search of better opportunities and resources. PARASOL Library is a facility that allows for special gatherings, but mainly serves the everyday of locals.

In an increasingly digitized world, the library has transformed into a hub of not just books but also of community and technology. To mirror this role shift, I aimed to take the library out of its traditional setting: indoors. The design is based on movement, representative of the flux state both the town and concept of a library occupy. The parasol roof structure, supported by a bed of columns, provides light shading and filtration to the spaces below. Its angled faces provide a dynamic, shifting quality to the approaching viewer. A majority of the building sits submerged within the landscape, leaving a comfortable exterior space with the surprise of a monolithic interior.