CURRENT Projects

FORSYTH COUNTY CENTRAL PUBLIC LIBRARY


Winston-Salem, NC

Steele Group Architects teamed with RATIO Architects in a successful bid to design the reinvention of the Forsyth County Central Library, which serves downtown Winston-Salem, NC. Because of our “Design for Life” philosophy, we believe the Iibrary should act as the living room for a community, a place where people can gather to discuss issues, exchange ideas, or just relax with a good book. The Central Library was originally built in 1953, and then added on to in 1980. However the building never operated as one entity – there were clear demarcations between the original structure and the expansion. There was a single point of connection between the two building wings, and the staff was forced to work around the building’s flaws. In this new reinvention, the original library will be demolished and the 1980’s wing will be salvaged and stripped to the structure. The new addition will then build off of the 1980’s wing, adding 50,000 SF to create a 100,000 SF, 21st century Central Library that is more flexible and able to accommodate the current and future needs of the library and our community. It will house an auditorium, community meeting rooms, a computer training area, a café, a technology petting zoo and an art gallery, in addition to the vast collection of books and periodicals that we have come to know and love.