Cleveland Public Library Martin Luther King, Jr. BranchClevelandUSA

At its center, a broad, architecturally scaled table anchors the double-height main hall. Part stage, part workspace, part communal surface, it extends toward the building’s edges and adapts to different uses along its perimeter. Around it, flexible rooms accommodate meetings, children and teen activities, small-group study, and neighborhood programs. A mezzanine ring floats above the central space, providing quieter vantage points and access to special collections while maintaining visual connection to the activity below.

The facade wraps the building in alternating solid and glazed angled panels, producing a soft, textile-like envelope that modulates privacy and sound while drawing in calibrated daylight. From the street, the building reads as both protective and open; inside, light shifts across the interior as the day changes. A deep canopy extends the project outward, creating sheltered thresholds and encouraging the library’s functions to spill into the public realm.

More than a single volume, the branch unfolds as a sequence of spaces that support reading, performance, study, and informal gathering. The project invites a broad public—across ages, backgrounds, and abilities—to take part in a civic interior designed for shared use and everyday encounters.