HKP Architects’ Mount Vernon Library Commons Honored with ‘Design for Resilience’ Award at 2025 Metropolis Planet Positive Awards

HKP Architects is proud to announce that the Mount Vernon Library Commons (MVLC) has been named the winner of the Design for Resilience category in the 2025 Metropolis Planet Positive Awards, recognizing the project's groundbreaking approach to sustainable design.

Presented annually by Metropolis magazine, the Planet Positive Awards celebrate excellence in sustainable, responsible, and equitable design at every scale of the built environment. The Design for Resilience category highlights projects that respond proactively to environmental challenges and community needs.

Located in historic downtown Mount Vernon, Washington, the MVLC integrates a public library, community center, public parking garage, and one of the nation's largest public EV-charging installations in one all-electric, high-performance facility. Designed in collaboration with the City of Mount Vernon, the project embodies resilience through thoughtful engineering and community-centered design with a focus on climate resiliency, energy efficiency, and embodied carbon reduction. The facility is the first Phius Certified library in the country, incorporating passive building design for durability and significant energy use reduction.

HKP Architects collaborated with a team of engineers, city officials, and community stakeholders to ensure that the design not only met rigorous sustainability standards but also reflected the shared values of accessibility, equity, and resilience. The project's recognition in the Planet Positive Awards underscores HKP's ongoing commitment to creating architecture that strengthens communities and advances climate-responsive design in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. More information at Metropolis Magazine.

HKP Architects has been providing architectural services to the Pacific Northwest since 1952. The firm focuses on civic buildings and spaces, educational facility planning and design, non-profit and community-oriented projects, and private homes. All of their projects emphasize long-term value for clients through efficient use of space, appropriate use of materials, sustainability, and the benefits of natural light. HKP Architects is a Women Business Enterprise (WBE)-certified firm. For more information, visit our website.