The project seeks to respond to the cadence of the Sligo landscape. The landscape is characterised by the large scale of the horizons of Ben Bulben, the Atlantic and Knocknarea and is understood as a palimpsest, a multiplicity of narratives ranging from geology and archaeology to the poetry of Yeats to contemporary tourist brochures.  The urban landscape of Sligo is defined principally by a strong urban grain, a series of long narrow plots running down to the banks of the Garavogue. The project therefore seeks to draw on this large scale and this urban grain to create a single cultural entity, a new public garden that connects the Mall to the Green Fort, a new place of communication for the town.

The library is composed of two primary volumes - a tall space and a long space, which seek to intensify the nature of the institution by not dividing the different elements, but instead creating a diverse topography of bookshelves, desks for reading, computer stations and relaxation areas. In this way the changes which are taking place in the use of media are seen as enriching, rather than conflicting with, the essential public experience of the library. The museum is conceived as having the character of a long rooflit hall, providing a sequence of flexible exhibition spaces that can be easily extended in the future.