A Better Use of Land: Walmart Converted into Public Library
March 2, 2015
The article titled Abandoned Walmart is Now America’s Largest 1-Floor Library on Web Urbanists discusses the transformation of an disused Walmart in McAllen, Texas into a massive library. The architecture firm Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle (MSR), whose company philosophy “to create exceptional and enduring architecture through a leading, self-renewing practice,” can be credited for this incredible renovation, which includes beautiful workspaces, bright walls and glass partitions that make the 124,500 square foot library seem even more spacious. The article states,
“The design won the International Interior Design Association’s 2012 Library Interior Design Competition. MSR stripped out the old ceiling and walls of the building, gave the perimeter walls and bare warehouse ceiling a coat of white paint, and set to work adding glass-enclosed spaces …and row after row of books. The library even has… 16 public meeting spaces, 14 public study rooms, 64 computer labs, … self check-out units, an auditorium, an art gallery, a used bookstore and a cafe.”
Given the number of Walmart stores that have cropped up in the past twenty years, it may come as no surprise that there are hundreds of such abandoned Walmart stores, not to mention thousands of other abandoned box stores across America. The article reminds us that Walmart stores in particular have made a vast environmental impact, taking up over 698 million square feet of land in the U.S. alone.
Chelsea Kerwin, March 02, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
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A Better Use of Land: Walmart Converted into Public Library : Stephen E. Arnold @ Beyond Search