Line and Space, LLC—leaders in resource conserving architecture since 1978—is pleased to announce the Sahuarita Library has received the 2026 Elev8 Design Awards: Grand Citation – New Construction. This recognition celebrates a project designed to foster community connection while remaining deeply rooted in the Sonoran Desert.
Line and Space representatives say, "Marking its eighth design award to date, we’re especially excited to see a library—not just a building—receiving this kind of national attention. It’s wonderful recognition of what libraries contribute to the people they serve and of how thoughtful, community-driven design can create places where people feel a real sense of belonging."
View from the southeastView from the southeast
Storytime RoomStorytime Room
View from the eastView from the east
About Sahuarita Library
Over the past decade, the Town of Sahuarita experienced rapid population growth while lacking access to a modern, full-service public library. The former library, housed in a modular structure, could no longer meet the needs of the expanding community. The completed Sahuarita Library now serves as an essential civic resource, offering improved spaces for visitors, administration, and students, along with an expanded collection, contemporary learning services, and a welcoming, user-centered experience.
The 17,000 square foot, $5.7 million library includes collection areas for children, teens, and adults, supported by study and meeting rooms, a maker space, gaming center, and a business development area that encourages collaboration and job skill development. A large multi-purpose room opens directly to an outdoor patio, allowing presentations, performances, and community events to extend seamlessly beyond the building.
With limited long-range views, the design focuses on the immediate desert landscape. A continuous low ribbon window frames earth berms and bioswales planted with native vegetation and irrigated using harvested rainwater. These berms also buffer noise from the adjacent street, reinforcing a calm interior environment.
The Sahuarita Library stands as a calm desert landmark, where light, material, and shapes of the community form a welcoming public presence.
About Line and Space, LLC
Established in Tucson, Arizona, in 1978, Line and Space, LLC has built an international reputation for environmentally responsive design. Led by University of Arizona College of Architecture alumni Henry Tom, FAIA, Bob Clements, AIA, and Johnny Birkinbine, AIA, the firm emphasizes the integration of architecture and landscape through a commitment to ecological stewardship and resource conservation. Over the past 48 years, Line and Space has advanced a design philosophy rooted in environmental respect, producing timeless, site-specific architecture that fosters connection between people and place. The firm’s designs have garnered over 150 national and international awards.
Line and Space, LLC has been selected as the design firm overseeing the Downtown Library Building Project, which is estimated to be completed and open to the public in 2029.
Line and Space media contact:
- Carleen Kopacek
(520) 623-1313 | carleenk@lineandspace.com
