Highgate Library & Community Center
Highgate, VT
CategoryA New Library and Community Center
In conjunction with the town of Highgate, gbA produced a feasibility study that analyzes potential next steps for the Highgate Library and Community Center. The existing library is a beloved part of the Highgate community, which it serves in many ways. We studied the existing facility and considered options for renovation, reworking, and for possible new construction.
The existing library acts as much more than a traditional library. It is the main public internet resource, serves as temporary office space for visiting nurses and other local businesses, and provides a location for supervised family visits. The staff hosts programs such as story time, summer gardening, STEAM classes, after school programs, and many others. We studied how this existing structure could best serve these many functions. We also worked closely with the community to determine how a new building would support their goals of expanding their community offerings, providing more room to house their collections, and comfortably hosting the number of patrons who use the space, reflecting its dual role as a library and community center.
At the end of 2017, we completed our study which provided the town with a thorough analysis of the current space, the possibility of renovating the existing building, the pros and cons of potential sites for relocation, our recommended solution, and a design concept.
"During the selection process for a consultant to perform a feasibility study to relocate the Highgate Library, gbA Architecture and Planning was the unanimous choice. It soon became clear that we had made an excellent choice and we were pleased throughout the process with their accountability and adaptability. They managed large meetings with diverse opinions well. They were flexible and accepting of all ideas and they did an excellent job of translating our very rough vision into an efficient and attractive design that will hopefully come to fruition in the future."
– Heidi Britch Valenta, Highgate Town Administrator
