Lisle Library

Established in 1965, the mission of the Lisle Library District is to enrich the cultural, social, and life-long educational development of the community. While executing its strategic plan, the Library District began capital improvements in 2022 to renovate the library building and surrounding site with the goal of increasing efficiency, accessibility and functionality for all users.

On a design team led by Sheehan Nagle Hartray Architects, Eriksson Engineering Associates, Ltd. (EEA) provided civil engineering and landscape architecture services for the project, which was carefully planned in two phases to ensure that patrons could access materials during construction.

In keeping with library design trends, a new one-way driving lane was added for easy book drop-off and book pick-up, allowing patrons to retrieve and return materials without entering the building. To aid in pedestrian and traffic safety, our team included new way-finding and accessible route signage to the parking lot and driving lanes throughout the site.

An ADA access route was added to the library’s north entryway, which contains a new ramp, drop-off zone, and concrete steps that connect to a new vestibule. The EEA team designed a new outdoor patio space, in addition to making parking and sidewalk changes to accommodate a new south side entryway. Numerous site Improvements were made, including changes to the stormwater management design to address previous clogging issues, as well as removing and replacing multiple sidewalk areas and conducting parking lot repairs, seal coating, and striping.

One of the key design features for the north entrance’s landscape architecture plan involved utilizing and enhancing as much of the existing landscape as possible. The project included all native and adaptive plantings to reduce the need for extensive maintenance and watering. Portions of the site’s perimeter included shrub and perennial plantings to help stabilize the site’s slopes, while also providing additional seasonal interest through plant species, variety, colors and textures.