What happens when you take an old, abandoned Walmart and add a touch of design and a good smattering of civic consciousness? You get the largest single-story library in the United States, spanning the area of about 2-1/2 football fields.

According to PSFK, the International Interior Design Association recently selected Minneapolis-based firm Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, Ltd. as winner of the 2012 Library Interior Design Competition for converting a ubiquitous American big box store in McAllen, Texas into a sprawling community book haven. Walls and ceilings were stripped down and re-painted, and lasercut wood walls break up spaces for computer labs and meeting rooms. Eye-catching graphics wrapped around hovering ceiling elements designate different book collections, perhaps taking cues from the highly legible signage of the consumerist temple that left this enormous 124,500 sq ft footprint. Looking for young adult fiction? Large-print biographies? Check aisle 6.

A shot of the original interior. Photo courtesy the architects.

- Kelly Chan

Tags: Kelly Chan