Fair Haven Forest Library
Refuge and dispersal form the basis of design for this extension and adaptation of the Fair Haven Public Library. The library acts as a space of refuge as one of the last truly public spaces, not only for studying and reading but for kids to have a safe place after school, places to warm up in the winter months, and access and support for vital information. As a means of dispersal, libraries are constantly expanding their offerings and resources, from power tools to musical instruments to seed libraries.
In the Fair Haven Forest Library, refuge and dispersal serve in two fold: as an in-situ food forest and an ex-situ seed bank. The forest, a space where native, edible, perennial plants can grow and thrive, serves as a refuge by providing green space to the community, increasing local biodiversity, and providing habitats for the local fauna. It also spreads food and the knowledge of how to prepare that produce to the community through its harvest, working to reintroduce indigenous notions of co-productive relationships to land. The ex-situ seed bank provides the necessary conditions and space to preserve and research the roughly 400 endangered New England native plant species, while enabling community members to bring seeds home and cultivate these species throughout the area.