Architecture, Interiors, Model Making & Furniture Design
A Place Between Work and Leisure
Urban public library and plaza — Musgrave Park, South Brisbane
Designed by Lee Anchor, 2014
A place between work and leisure — where learning becomes social, work becomes meaningful, and community becomes part of everyday life.
The concept for Library 2.5 begins with a simple observation: contemporary life can be understood through three primary environments — home, work and leisure. For the purpose of developing the concept, these are represented numerically.
Library 2.5 is conceived as the space between work and leisure — a place that does not belong entirely to either category, but intentionally brings the two together. The number therefore represents a threshold: a space between productivity and pleasure, between learning and social interaction, between individual development and community life.
In this imagined environment, work is not simply a means of financial security. It can also provide purpose, recognition, achievement and a sense of personal worth. When people enjoy what they do, feel valued and are connected to others, they are more likely to engage, participate, learn and contribute meaningfully.
The library therefore becomes more than a repository of knowledge. Library 2.5 is envisioned as a cultural and community destination — a place to learn, work, create, perform, meet and belong, where knowledge and community intersect, supported by a network of spaces that encourage collaboration, informal learning, creativity and social connection.
At its heart, Library 2.5 is about belonging: creating an environment in which people feel welcomed, supported and inspired to learn, participate and grow.
Sketch perspectiveThe cafe under the folded roof
Architecture is fundamentally about telling stories, creating a sense of place, and fostering belonging.
Architecture should respond to the people who inhabit and use it, while simultaneously engaging with, enhancing and respecting its surrounding natural environment and landscape. The built form should emerge from that relationship rather than exist independently of it.
I value an architecture that expresses an honesty of material, light and structure, allowing the character of the building to be clearly understood. Natural light, transparency and carefully considered connections between interior and exterior can create environments that are open, welcoming and responsive to their surroundings.
Environmental responsibility is integral to this approach. The design seeks to reduce reliance on mechanical systems through natural daylight, passive ventilation, solar control and passive cooling — creating spaces that are comfortable, sustainable and connected to the natural environment.
Ultimately, successful architecture should do more than provide functional space. It should enrich everyday experience, encourage human connection and create a meaningful sense of place.
The folded roof studied in raking light
An urban public library set within existing parkland at Musgrave Park, South Brisbane, occupying 1,400 m² GFA with approximately 600 m² of usable floor space, and ten public and six staff car parks at lower ground level.
Inside, the reading and collection area is arranged with both private and public seating across two levels, together with a childminding facility within the complex. Staff areas take in book sorting, offices and meeting facilities, with a staff retreat on the roof that can also be hired out for public functions.
The community plaza creates an inviting arrival and establishes a new meeting and gathering place for West End. Rather than functioning simply as an entrance to the library, the plaza extends the life of the building into the public realm. A variety of seating arrangements, gathering points and informal spaces encourage people to pause, meet, converse and connect. The arrival sequence is conceived as a civic threshold between the street, the community and the library.
The cafe serves a dual purpose: a welcoming place to meet, eat and enjoy conversation, and a platform for local artists and performers to share their work. It becomes an active social interface between the library and the plaza, encouraging informal interaction throughout the day.
The stage sits close to the cafe, creating a natural relationship between food, gathering and performance. The existing site contours are incorporated into the landscape to form informal seating for larger groups. Rather than imposing a conventional auditorium, the landscape itself becomes part of the performance environment, letting people sit, relax and experience music, theatre and community events in the open air.
Transparency is used as both an architectural and a social strategy. The transparent facade establishes a visual connection between the library, the plaza and the surrounding streetscape, so that activity within and around the building stays connected to public life. By increasing visual permeability and passive surveillance, the design contributes to a safer, more welcoming environment for library users and the wider community.
Technology is integrated into the arrival through a prominent interactive display in the foyer. Digital touchscreens give access to library programs, exhibitions, events and community activities, along with facility and venue bookings and community notices — intended not simply as an information system, but as a dynamic interface between the library and its community.
On Level 2, the community hall provides a flexible environment for community, educational and cultural activities, equipped with integrated digital and media infrastructure — video conferencing, large-format projection, sound systems, music facilities and video recording. Its flexibility lets the space adapt from community meetings and educational programs to presentations, performances and collaborative events.
Smaller-scale activities are accommodated through a series of Virtual Boxes: flexible multimedia booths on Level 2. These provide more intimate environments for individuals and small groups to undertake video conferencing, digital collaboration, sound recording and video production, complementing the larger facilities with spaces for concentration, experimentation and smaller-scale creative exchange.
Library 2.5 is imagined as a place between work and leisure — a space where learning becomes social, work becomes meaningful, and community becomes part of everyday life. It is not simply a library, but a place to meet, learn, create, perform and belong.
The model alongside the drawing set — lower ground, first floor, second floor and mezzanine.
For enquiries, please contact lee.anchor@optusnet.com.au.