Eden Prairie Library

Adapative Reuse Project Transforms Supermarket to Library

Hennepin County purchased a former Lund’s supermarket building with the intent of converting the building into the new Eden Prairie Library. Under designs by BTR, the newly renovated building accommodates a 40,000 square foot contemporary library with an additional 6,000 square feet of leasable space also capable of accommodating future expansion. The decision to transform an existing grocery store was but one of a series of sustainable building strategies employed in the design and construction of this project.  The Minnesota Sustainable Design Guidelines (the precursor to B3) were employed to achieve efficiency and envelope performance 30% better than the energy code. As the library is largely an open plan, furnishings take on the responsibility to define and separate library areas while providing a variety of functions.  The combination of custom millwork, office systems, and off-the-shelf library and lounge furniture resulted in a very warm and inviting, user-friendly community facility that functions easily for all of its diverse users.