Celebrating the area's wooded surroundings

The East Roswell Branch Library is a part of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System and its network of 34 branch library facilities throughout the Atlanta, Georgia area. Following a Library Bond Referendum, KAI’s MEP design team was chosen with Khafra Engineering and HBM Architects to design a new branch library in East Roswell, a northern suburb of Atlanta.

The vision for the new East Roswell Branch Library was to integrate 21st-century developments into a bigger and better library to replace an existing, smaller branch. The Khafra/HBM/KAI team designed a new $6.9 million, 18,000 SF state-of-the-art facility which greatly enhances services to the local community especially in the areas of collections, technology and facilities. New spaces include a meeting room, study rooms and separate gathering spaces for children and teens.

The design aesthetic celebrates the site’s wooded surroundings, utilizing wood and stone materials with large expanses of glass to bring the outdoors in. A covered walkway with columns resembling tree trunks provides a welcoming entry. Designed sustainably, the library has achieved LEED Gold Certification while beautifully reflecting the culture and interests of the East Roswell community.

KAI’s MEP engineers presented a unique underfloor duct distribution system with energy-efficient heat pumps and fluid cooling system and Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) above-ceiling HVAC systems. The idea behind this system was to provide no exposed or concealed ductwork and grilles above or in the space or ceiling. The new system provides point of space distribution with adjustable volume dampers.