The Thurmont Regional Library, a 25,000-square-foot facility in Frederick County, Maryland, has been recognized with a 2010 Award of Excellence for Best Institutional Facility by the Maryland/DC Chapter of NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association. The new library was designed by the Fairfax, Virginia, office of PSA-Dewberry, an architectural and engineering practice known nationally for its work in the design of libraries and other community facilities.

The spacious new building highlights the rural community's agricultural heritage, and includes two meeting rooms, spaces for children and teens, an outdoor reading deck, and the county's first drive-through service window. The library is more than ten times the size of Thurmont's previous library, which had been housed in a former church. NAIOP jury members praised the new building's "beauty and innovative finishes inside and out."

In designing the building, the PSA-Dewberry team took cues from the rural landscape and the prevalence of farm structures still scattered throughout the area. Local materials, such as stone and wood, are used throughout, and where possible, the team selected sustainable, low-cost alternatives such as hardy board. Interior spaces are designed to recall agrarian structures such as barns, sheds, and covered bridges. Heavy timber roof trusses also add warmth and drama to the interior.

A soaring tower on the exterior and as a centerpiece in the 40-foot-high lobby represents the historic Catoctin Furnace, a local landmark that influenced the form of the building. The tower is constructed of calcium silicate, a durable, low-cost material that resembles stone. Iron elements throughout the building echo the details found in the furnace itself.

The children's area features a small, barn-shaped "room within a room" for stories with a child-sized door and a corrugated metal, shed-type roof. The ceiling in the children's area is reminiscent of a covered bridge. The children's area also has a puppet stage, a child-sized information desk, and low shelving and windows.

An area for teens allows for visual monitoring from the main circulation desk but offers a sophisticated, separate gathering area for reading and socializing. The space has informal seating, coffee tables, and access to computers.

The community's new Thurmont Center for Agricultural History, which highlights the region's agrarian roots, is located just off the lobby. The climate-controlled space contains historic documents, paintings, photographs, 4H and Grange records, and histories of family farms and orchards. The center also features historic windows that were removed from the previous library structure and relocated to the new building.

The site presented a number of challenges, as the buildable area was impacted by the presence of encroaching wetlands. Ultimately, the building parcel was narrowed to five acres—much smaller than originally anticipated. The design team optimized use of the site by creating an outdoor deck and a small boardwalk that extends to the adjacent wetlands. Environmental graphics and interpretive signage introduce library patrons to the wetland environment and other aspects of the surrounding natural landscape.

In addition to PSA-Dewberry, the consulting team included Rich Lawson & Associates for mechanical/electrical and plumbing engineering and Adtek Associates for civil engineering and landscape architecture.