Indian Creek Library

A suburban big‑box store is transformed into a light‑filled library that celebrates community and nature.

The City of Olathe, located 35 miles southwest of downtown Kansas City, aimed to transform a vacant big-box store into a flexible library filled with community gathering spaces. This adaptive reuse project would repurpose acres of unused space in a central location, offering a sustainable alternative to new development.

We facilitated extensive community and client engagement in partnership with Group 4 Architecture. The community articulated the need for a beautiful, engaging destination that could bring people of all generations together and connect them with nature. The city strived for the transformation of the ubiquitous mass-retail exterior into a visual source of civic pride.

The influence of nature and life permeate the design. The site was transformed from an abandoned asphalt parking lot into a hub of community activity connected to nature, including a popular biking/hiking trail—becoming one of the most active parks in the city.

Transformation of the Library Model

The Indian Creek Library transforms the traditional library concept into a 21st Century model. Its services include a maker space, a gaming suite, a professional recording studio, and a café. Creation spaces are distributed throughout and each collection space is simply organized to allow for easy reconfiguration.