We wrapped the building in a screen of perforated brick, laid by local masons in a pattern that thickens toward the floor and opens toward the ceiling. During the day it filters sunlight into soft, dappled reading rooms. After dark the pattern reverses, and the library glows from within like a lantern.

Inside, a double-height reading hall anchors the plan, with quieter rooms and a children’s room arranged around it. The building now stays open into the evening, and the street outside feels safer because of it.