Everton Park Library

The original 1960s Everton Park Library no longer met community needs, lacking accessibility, spatial flexibility, and integration with its surroundings. The brief called for a contemporary library that would expand capacity, deliver new technology-enabled services, and function as a welcoming, inclusive public space. The site presented additional challenges, including a constrained urban footprint, steep topography, and interface with adjacent residential and commercial land uses, a large western facing facade and a very busy arterial road. The project needed to create a civic presence on a busy road while addressing climatic conditions and ensuring operational efficiency over the building’s lifecycle.

The library is arranged around and opening to the adjacent park, allowing all key spaces to benefit from filtered daylight, and views into the tree canopy. Open plan reading rooms open onto a large balcony that extends the library into the landscape. The roofline folds to maintain tree protection zones while also shaping the building's volume. The building balances raw durability with softness, tactility and warmth inside, prioritising longevity and atmospheric comfort.

The project provides a high-performance civic facility embedded in nature. It increases library visitation and dwell time while reducing energy demand. The community benefits from expanded programming, improved accessibility and a welcoming public interface. The park connection enhances wellbeing and local identity. Internal finishes were selected for durability, sustainability and their ability to reflect and extend the surrounding landscape into the interior. From a commercial perspective, the building achieves long-term cost-efficiency through its low-maintenance materials and durable detailing. Feedback from staff and visitors highlights increased satisfaction and a stronger sense of belonging.

A key feature is the building’s relationship to Fallon Park. The library opens to the landscape, with public areas oriented toward mature trees. The north-facing elevation includes deep awnings to manage heat gain and shade the terrace. A cantilevered roofline bends and lifts to preserve tree protection zones, sheltering the outdoor reading terrace. Interior spaces are daylit but shaded, with a restrained palette of plywood and acoustic timber panels that reduce maintenance, enhance durability, and support the library’s civic function. The spatial layout supports flexible programming: the open-plan floorplan can accommodate individual reading, small-group collaboration, and large-format events with limited fixed partitions. The front façade tapers inward, deflecting road noise while creating a landscaped courtyard that offers visitors a calm and welcoming entry experience. Faceted concrete panels are angled to frame glimpses into the adjacent laneway, encouraging passive surveillance and strengthening the library’s connection to its public context. The children’s room extends into the park, enabling young library visitor’s views toward outdoor play at the children’s play space in the park beyond. The back-of-house zones are compact but efficient, with line-of-sight maintained across the library floor.