The Rolando Library functions as a community resource center to promote education and cultural events. The total site of 1.4 acres includes utilities, grading, parking, architectural pavement and landscaping. As a result of three years of community meetings and discussions about the image of the new library, FPBA executed a building design that represents and brings together the diverse histories and interests of these communities. Strong references for the College area, with the intense activities associated with the neighboring San Diego State University, were integrated with the natural environment of the Rolando area.
The design concept emerged from the recognition that these communities are central to the City of San Diego, expressing the ocean influences from the West, the mesa and rolling hills of College and Rolando, and the foothills and mountains of the neighboring communities to the East.
