Peterborough, New Hampshire

Peterborough Town Library

Our renovation and expansion of the Peterborough Town Library creates a new civic forum for Peterborough with a design that is in three parts. At one end is the original 1893 masonry building, with its restored reading room, special collections storage, and offices. At the other end, and balancing the original building in scale, massing, and materiality, is a new community wing with a flexible auditorium and multi-purpose classrooms. In between a new connector building provides open and transparent spaces for children, young adult, and general collections, as well as the help desk, and technical services.

The Library is located in the center of the Peterborough with expansive views of the adjacent Contoocook River. The building’s glass facades, reading porch, new gardens, and a river terrace connect the Library with town life, offering additional settings for community gatherings outside. An adjacent building is retrofitted to accommodate a bio mass boiler to heat and cool the Library, while electrical loads are offset by roof-mounted photovoltaics.

Client
Town of Peterborough
Status
Completed 2021
Project Size
Restoration & Renovation | 4,000 GSF
New Construction | 13,000 GSF
Program
Public Library & Community Center
“The Peterborough Town Library is now a place where our patrons want to spend time. The historical areas were beautifully restored and integrated into a modern library addition that provides the spaces people need to work, learn, and connect. We couldn’t be happier with how welcoming and comfortable our building is and the overall success of the renovation.”
—Corinne Chronopoulos, Library Director

Our Process

Ann Beha Architects, now Annum Architects
Project Team
Steven Gerrard AIA, Ann Beha FAIA, Thomas M. Hotaling AIA, Ashley Merchant AIA, Carl Damas (ABA/Annum); Becker Structural Engineers (Structural); AHA Consulting Engineers (MEP / FP); Hayner/Swanson (Civil); Richard Burck Associates (Landscape); Wil-Spec, LLC (Specifications); C3 (Code); Harvey Construction (Construction Management); Peter Vanderwalker (Photography)