Paraparaumu Library

The Paraparaumu Library is the first element of a new Civic Core for the Kapiti Coast District Council.  Eventually this core will include new civic offices, a public swimming pool, and an arts centre.   

The new library needed to house a growing book collection.  It also needed to provide spaces for study, relaxed reading, and computer-based learning.  There was also a requirement to provide archive facilities for historical material.  In addition to these practical matters, the council wanted the new building to be a focus for community pride and awareness. 

The 2,175m² structure is arranged on two levels.  A double-height main collection volume is the dominant space.  This is orientated to ensure that local hills and Kapiti Island are engaged in the building's axial plan.  The landscape features also act as opposing vanishing points for the rectangular tubular form of the upper level. 

The sense of density and enclosure at the entrance is increased by a three metre overhang of the upper form along the entire street elevation, while 4.5 metre cantilevers at each end of the building generate a sense of reaching out to Kapiti Island and the coastal ranges.  The visual weight of the upper floor is further increased by black zinc cladding hovering over the translucent glass sheathing of the lower form.