SITE
​The Spokane Public Library is located on the eastern side of Washington state. The Spokane River flows from the mountains of Northern Idaho located to the East of the city. With a metropolitan area population of over 500,000, Spokane is the largest city between Seattle and Minneapolis. This population size allows for the city to accommodate a dense urban area as well as abundant natural beauty. The Spokane Public Library addresses both of these key Spokane characteristics.
ACTIVITY
​After Spokane hosted the 1974 World’s Expo, the Expo Site was converted to Riverfront Park, a 100 acre area at the center of the downtown core, connecting via islands to the either side of the Spokane River. The Spokane Public Library is located at the transition between the active downtown area and the green space offered by Riverfront Park. Pedestrian activity is highest along the south, corresponding to the entry corridor. Spokane Falls Sky Ride, to the north, maintains the park’s green space, but blocks pedestrian movement with gondola supports.
VIEWS
​The Library offers views that capture the beauty of the Spokane area. The Spokane Public Library is oriented to align with lower views along Riverfront Park and higher skyline views toward the downtown area.
CONNECTIONS
​The Spokane Public Library is intentionally located at the center of the city, connected to areas invaluable to its citizens. To the west, Spokane City Hall and the Mobius Science Center create strong educational and civic ties, while the library building acts as a bridge between Riverside Park to Huntington Park, connecting the park area from upper Spokane Falls to Lower Spokane Falls. Typical of an urban area, parking is located to the north in a Spokane City-owned lot, and to the south in a public parking garage facility.
CASE STUDY INVESTIGATION
​In order to understand the ways that digital information can inform physical space, architectural spaces with innovative digital interfaces were analyzed. The digital interface and the physical context were drawn separately to explore the relationship between the digital interface and the physical context. While the simplest example of this type of case study is an urban screen, such as the many that occupy Times Square in New York City, the case studies included a variety of digital interfaces. The digital interface varied in material expression from screens and projectors to water, mobile devices, and wireless network connections. The investigation revealed the importance of the scale and orientation of the digital interfaces, showcasing opportunities to use digital information to enrich a physical space. As digital information continues to influence libraries to a greater extent, the Spokane Public Library utilizes digital interfaces in order to create connections between people, information, and the city.
PROGRAM INVESTIGATION
SYNTHESIS & SITE INTEGRATION
CURRENT ITERATION
EMERGING PUBLIC: THE PUBLIC LIBRARY'S ROLE IN COMMUNITY
Location: Spokane, WA
Typology: Public Library
Project Type: Masters Thesis
Date: 2017
How can architecture create context and facilitate understanding of the information presented in public libraries  through both physical and digital media to encourage community engagement? This thesis analyzes the architectural relationship between the public, information, and the city.

Historically, library buildings have acted as the interface through which the public accessed information. As the way we access information has changed, libraries have changed as well. The proliferation of easy and remote access to information can lead to the assumption that libraries, as portals to information, are obsolete. However, information that is less exclusive is also less edited, driving the amount of information up and driving the quality of any given piece of information down. Among the strategies to interpret this large amount of information, context is one of the most valuable. To provide context, this thesis focuses on public library architecture as a lens for understanding  and viewing how different forms of connection impact the city.