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A Colloqate Design publication
in partnership with Bora Architecture & Interiors
and Multnomah County Library
Thanks to the support of voters, Multnomah County Library is hard at work on a major transformation. New spaces will replace cramped buildings and help the library change and grow along with the community. Holgate Library will be a bigger, entirely new two-story building at the same location as it was before. It will reopen in spring 2024. Midland Library will be updated and expanded by approximately 6,000 square feet, opening in summer 2024.
Community input is shaping the design for library spaces and new features.
The design team includes Bora Architecture & Interiors and Colloqate Design. Bora is a 73-person office based in Portland. They are passionate about designing healthy, joyful places connecting people and communities.
Colloqate is a nonprofit design practice with staff in Portland and New Orleans, focused on building community power through the design of social, civic and cultural spaces.
The whole team is committed to the ideas of the Design Justice movement. This means they use design as a way to challenge systems of power that harm communities, whether the harm is intended or not.
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We have found big themes by talking to people in person, in online meetings and through surveys. We got over 6,000 comments from more than 40 events. We also worked with 14 community members who joined our engagement team. This group is called the Community Design Advocates (CDAs).
CDAs applied through an open call. They received a $2,500 stipend for their work. Perhaps you were in one of their focus groups or conversations!
This group met with our designers once a week from December 2021 until April 2022. They worked together to plan their outreach, then gave feedback to the architects based on what they learned from their communities.
CDAs were part of many communities that are affected by these library projects. This includes:
In community discussions, we’ve heard multiple themes that highlight issues that are most important to people.
The library should welcome and reflect people of many cultures.
Resources at the library are important for people who can’t get them at other places. This can include:
Libraries should be joyful and fun. This includes collections, events, design and art.
People use all parts of the library in different ways based on:
People want to feel that they belong in library spaces. They want resources and connections that help them feel safe. They want security policies they can feel good about and trust.
People want libraries to:
People want to feel close to nature while indoors and out. Themes included natural light, plants and fresh, clean air. Clean air is also related to health concerns like COVID and pollution.
Inside
Holgate Library will be a brand new two-story building, triple the size of the current space for a total of 21,000 square feet. It will be one of the largest libraries in Multnomah County.
Call-Outs
Community art workshop
Local artist Salomée Souag hosted a community printmaking event at CORE PDX to inspire ideas for the design of an original artwork which will be inside the library. Based on this design, Salomée will also create linework that will be on the exterior of the building and give it a unique character.
Midland will have more community spaces, faster internet, updated technology, and will add 6,000 square feet to the building.
Call-Outs
Circular gathering spaces are important in Indigenous communities as a way of making everyone feel equally welcome.
During a pattern design workshop, community members shared stories about something that is culturally important to them. They made images based on their stories which the design team turned into a pattern that will be on the building’s exterior, welcoming visitors from the library’s diverse communities.
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Community engagement was an important, ongoing effort, including three public voting sessions for colors and materials.
Holgate Library
Patterns in nature inspired the look and feel for the interior and exterior of the library. Calming natural colors and repeating geometric patterns complement the building’s wooden structure.
Midland Library
Water inspired the winning interior design. Many community members shared stories from different cultures which centered water as an important connector.
To learn more about upcoming opportunities around these projects see the link or QR code below:
Project Webpage
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