SOM transforms ageing brick buildings into Chicago's West Loop Branch library

Architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill has converted buildings in a former industrial district into a public library in Chicago, where original brick walls and bow trusses are on full display.The West Loop Branch library is named after its location in the city's West Loop neighbourhood – a former industrial area that is now brimming with residential towers, office buildings, restaurants and shops – and marks the first public library in the area.
Encompassing 16,500 squ