In 2001, DMA was selected by the Dexter District Library to provide professional design services for a new one-story 25,000-square-foot Library to replace the 4,000-square-foot facility that was serving the residents of the district. The ten-acre site chosen by the Library offered numerous natural features that shaped the design of the facility, including a wide variety of older growth trees, small wooded wetland areas, and a large natural bowl-shaped depression in the center of the site.
Both the client and DMA shared a strong desire to maximize the natural features of this unique site through preservation of as many trees as possible, minimizing the impact of the parking area, and shaping the design of the building to reflect the character of this site - while taking full advantage of views from within the library and its surrounds. As designed, all public library spaces enjoy views into this natural courtyard, creating a sense of being deep in the woods.
- Total Size 25,000 SF