The solution to provide a civic building stemmed from the context in which it exists as it caters to a growing suburban, pedestrian-friendly community. It is the largest regional library since the city of Fresno’s main library, which mandates civic prominence yet staying compatible with the suburban context.

The front adjacency to the city street buffers the building’s impact on the suburban fabric, which allows a high degree of landscaping, creating a more friendly and inviting path, which is also respectful to the adjacent residential district. Its design theme, inside and out, develops from a sensitivity of linking the Eaton Trail Access to the San Joaquin River. The river parkway theme promulgates within the curvilinear walls of the building. This flow creates the invitation to the two main exterior entries converging into one interior entry. This responds to the need to having a prominent entry off the city’s sidewalk as well as a mutually agreeable entry from the rear parking lot.

The interiors invite patrons into the central space whereby all other areas are visually connected: stacks for adults to juveniles, high-tech computers allowing quick self-service checkouts and automated book processing, as well as separate Circulation and Reference desks.