ABA’s renovation and expansion of this 1980s building serves one of the fastest growing and most ethnically diverse populations in the country. As Design Architect, in collaboration with Whitman Requardt & Associates, ABA partnered with library staff to refine a program that expands the library’s collections, study areas, staff workspace, community areas, and technology resources. One of this project’s most distinctive features, the Gilchrist Center, provides services and training to recent newcomers to the US through counseling, education, legal and tax services, and ESL classes. Certified LEED Gold, the new library is welcoming, inviting, light-filled, and easy to use. This project creates a hub for library resources and education, strengthening the library’s civic imprint.

Location: Gaithersburg, Maryland
Project Size: 62,500 sf

Sustainability: Certified LEED Gold

Project Team: Pamela Hawkes FAIA, Steven Gerrard AIA (ABA); Whitman Requardt & Associates (Architect of Record); ReStl Designers (Structural); Whitman Requardt & Associates (Mechanical); Diversified Engineering (Electrical); Diversified Engineering (Civil); Mahan Rykiel Associates (Landscape); Rohrer Studio (Interior Design); Unlimited Systems Support (IT / Communications); DMS International (Cost); Henley Construction Company (General Contractor); Peter Vanderwarker (Photography)