Design approved for $106.8M Southdale Library, Edina Art Center

Hennepin County officials advanced plans Tuesday to rebuild the Southdale Library in Edina with a new facility that will top $106 million and including space to house the Edina Art Center.

The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners voted to approve an architectural and engineering services contract for the project, which has been in the works for around a decade.

The existing library, built in 1971, is the fourth busiest library in the Hennepin County Library system, with more than half-a-million visits annually.

The new library is designed to meet ambitious sustainability objectives and will return several acres of the property near the intersection of York Avenue South and West 70th Street to native plant cover.

"Prior to European colonization, the site was oak savanna and potentially open water, within a larger regional matrix that included dry prairie, wet prairie, and woodland," a project narrative states. "This design proposal invites these ecosystems back to the site, as a resource for learning about our region’s unique ecologies."

Additionally, the transformed destination will provide a trailhead for the Nine Mile Creek Trail, "seamlessly connecting pedestrians and cyclists from the Edina promenade to the Library," the proposal reads.

The landscape design will also manage around 95% of the site's annual average rainfall, according to the county.

'Library as landscape'

The design for the library's interior draws from minimalism, with studio spaces on the second floor framing an open atrium that will be used for library and arts events.

"Embracing the 'library as landscape' concept, the interior design draws in tones and textures from the landscape and extends materiality from the exterior inside, forming a unified experience of the building and site," the proposal states. "The design incorporates organic shapes, warm tones, and dappled lighting."

Materials chosen for the library will be selected based on rigorous performance and sustainability criteria, the proposal states, and provide both longevity and a healthy environment.

Construction of a new library is set to begin next year and wrap-up in 2027.

Learn more about Southdale Library project on Hennepin County's website here.