City of West Hollywood Library

The City of West Hollywood launched a capital program to develop landmark public facilities, parks and open space. The new library, which replaces a 5,000 SF outdated building with a new 35,000 SF, state-of-the-art library, includes public meeting rooms, CATV facilities, and coffee bar. Using a vertically-oriented site solution, the three-story structure frees up 2.5 acres of park land and green space, also allowing for new tennis courts and 400 parking spaces in two municipal garages. The new library is designed to showcase the City’s rich intellectual, literary, and cultural diversity, and serves as a landmark facility for the community’s passionate commitment to life-long learning.

Heery provided full program management services including cost estimating, scheduling, sustainability management and commissioning. In addition to managing the design, construction and delivery of the project, Heery guided the project through the LEED certification process, completing the necessary design document reviews through various stages of development.

One of the library’s great highlights is the iconic 14,000 SF bamboo-carved ceiling on the third floor. The $2 million masterpiece features an extremely intricate design of multiple layers which give a wavy, tapered look as the wood pieces weave in and out, resembling flowers on a vine. The ceiling is intended as a contemporary interpretation of the traditional coffered ceilings found in historic libraries around the country. On the outside, the project is celebrated for its distinctive style, adding a wavy multi-plane exterior expression that enhances the existing context.