South Branch Library

Originally referred to as the “Rouzan Branch,” the South Branch Library of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library system is located at the boundary of the Rouzan development and the Southdowns neighborhood, serving the community with a robust collection of more than 65,000 items—spanning books, periodicals, multimedia, and digital resources—that position the branch as an educational anchor for South Baton Rouge.

For decades, the public had been working toward establishing a South Branch, making its completion a long-anticipated milestone. Comprising over 18,000 SF of space, the library houses a diverse collection of media, collaborative study rooms, dedicated areas for children, teens, and adults, a lobby art gallery, and meeting spaces.

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The site plan was organized around a century-old heritage live oak tree that anchors the central courtyard, providing direct outdoor access from each of the three main library areas.

The design team underscored the building’s connection to the courtyard by perforating the building with light wells, clerestories, and bay windows that bring the outdoors in. Designing with this indoor-outdoor connection in mind, the team developed a roof overhang that wraps around the courtyard on three sides, creating a ‘porch’ for reading and socializing.

Feature walls over service desks, composed of wood battens set in acoustic material, echo the texture of the oak tree’s bark. The team carefully observed community activity to inform their architectural response, resulting in flexible spaces that accommodate rotating exhibitions by local and student artists, as well as intergenerational programming.

The meeting room can be divided into three separate spaces and is available for use after hours, with built-in connectivity to support a range of tech-enabled activities. Shelving units are mounted on casters to enable easy space reconfiguration, and the open courtyard provides a shaded area beneath the heritage oak tree for diverse outdoor programming.

To enhance accessibility, a pedestrian path connects the library to the surrounding neighborhood and nearby elementary school, making it easy for children to walk over after school and read until pick-up time.

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The South Branch Library is a place of curiosity and learning, creativity, and connection, shaped by the thoughtful integration of a beloved live oak tree and a broad collection of mixed media.