Sammamish Library Honored as One of Ten "New Landmark Libraries"

Sammamish bibliophiles and architecture fans, it is time to rejoice.

The - with its walls of glass and light-filled airy space in which to study and socialize - has been honored by Library Journal as one of the country's 10 "New Landmark Libraries" for its design, location and sensitivity to the environment.

"The library is place making, a building block of community vitality," according to Library Journal.

In articles dated May 15, Library Journal placed the King County Library System building in sixth place, giving accolades for "eliminating columns" so space can be used in various ways and for offering "expansive sight lines."

Library Journal also lauded the Sammamish Library for its central location, close to , high schools (, and ), and a . It also offers proximity to the outdoors and a perch to view sunsets.

"We're delighted. We love our building," Robbin Gaebler, managing librarian for Sammamish, said Friday. "We're glad it's been acknowledged."

While some libraries, such as the Rem Koolhaas-designed Central Library in downtown Seattle, have grabbed headlines, Library Journal said it wanted to shine a light on "relatively unknown gems that raise the bar as they respond to trends in green design and shifts in service models."

The Sammamish Library, which offers 19,000 square feet of space, is one of a selected group of structures which "will inspire and inform any building project."

Library Journal, a 133-year-old magazine, calls itself the oldest and most respected magazine to cover the library field. The magazine is read by 100,000 people in the library field in the United States.

The new Sammamish Library opened on Jan. 9, 2010 with 106,000 items in its collection. It was designed by the architecture firm of Perkins+Will. The overall project cost $16.3 million.

Perkins+Will has worked on numerous projects, including buildings at Bard College, space for AOL (the parent company of Sammamish Patch) as well as the Sammamish Library.

The new library has been the site of its first birthday party, classes and special events. The new location offers about twice the size of its old one at 228th Avenue Northeast and Northeast Inglewood Hill Road.

Editor's note: Read the Library Journal cover article about the "New Landmark Libraries" as well as the story on the Sammamish Library. In the embedded YouTube video clip, Ryan Bussard, the lead Perkins+Will architect for the project, talks about the building.