Linked to an historic courthouse with a timber and glass gasket, the new architecture respects and defines the old, allowing the old building a new life. A large public gallery connects the building programs of human services, public health, senior services and a state-of-the-art library while offering entry to the building from multiple approaches. The building is scaled to address a residential neighborhood to the north while large expanses of glass open to a reading porch and community green to the south. Interior spaces take advantage of extensive day-lighting and natural ventilation, while the material palette reflects the vernacular architecture of the mining town.