Innovative Desert Library

While the previous existing library was housed within a temporary mobile modular unit, the new library provides visitors, administration and students access to an expanded collection, cutting-edge learning services and technology, and a unique customer-centric experience. The library includes collections for adults, teens and children, several study/meeting rooms, a maker space, gaming center, children’s story time room, and a business development space that can be used for collaboration and improving job skills.

EXTREME CLIMATE

“The design of the library was influenced by the program, and response to climate and site forces,” says Jared Logue, AIA, principal, project architect at Line and Space, Tucson, Ariz. “A comprehensive site analysis was performed to identify and gain an understanding of the desert climate and forces that could influence the design of the new library. It was designed with a strong understanding of the facility’s environmental performance needs and the passive interventions required to create a sustainable and comfortable building within the extreme Sonoran Desert climate. Simple strategies such as proper orientation, shading glazing with large roof overhangs, and daylighting help minimize the use of active systems.” The library’s general contractor was Tucson-based Concord General Contracting, and the metal installer was Phoenix-based Progressive Roofing.

As positive views from the site are lacking, the facility focuses on the adjacent landscape through a continuous low-ribbon window that surrounds the library’s collection areas. Low water-use cacti and desert-adapted plants grow close to the low ribbon window, while earth berms and bioswales surround the building. “We implemented the earth berms and bioswales to collect and slow the flow of stormwater from the development of the site, roof and hardscape,” says Johnny Birkinbine, AIA, principal, architect at Line and Space. “Water, which is a precious and sparse resource in the desert, is retained and used to irrigate the native vegetation. The berms and vegetation also provide a visual and auditory buffer that mitigates incoming traffic noise from the adjacent major street.”

PERFORATED STEEL SHARDS

The library wanted to pay homage to the local community. One way it did this was via two perforated steel shards supplied by Tucson-based J.B. Steel. The angular metal forms of the shards reflect the community’s history of mining.

“Line and Space was inspired by the dynamic nature of the raw minerals and abstracted this concept to create two monumental forms that appear to grow from the library’s south façade,” says Birkinbine. “From inside the library, the form of the shards penetrates the collection space and glass curtainwalls [from Arcadia Inc., Vernon, Calif.] allowing daylight to filter in through the perforated metal panels. Within the shards are patios tempered by large, low-velocity fans, providing a quiet and comfortable space for users to enjoy reading outside throughout the year.”

Fenestration limited to the ribbon window helps mitigate heat gain into the building, and large overhangs and perforated steel shade panels at the shards protect the floor-to-ceiling glass used at the entry and outdoor reading areas. “At the exterior, the reading patios contained within the shards are shaded and tempered using large fans to provide airflow,” Logue says. “The performance patio is nestled into the earth and protected by a large overhang. Relief air from the building—normally vented through the roof—is recycled to this patio through adjustable air diffusers, tempering the space and making it comfortable and usable during the hot summer months. By using highly resilient and low-impact materials, such as metal, the library is low maintenance and will stand the test of time.”

PLANNING WITH METAL

It was important that library staff have full visual access to the resources. “By designing a flexible open floor plan and utilizing lower height book stacks and translucent metal fabric screens [from GKD Metal Fabrics, Cambridge, Md.], we created a concept that allows staff to have visual control without library patrons feeling that they are being overly monitored,” explains Henry Tom, FAIA, principal-in-charge, lead design architect at Line and Space.

The collection area of the library is clad with 24-gauge, smooth-face metal wall panels from Taylor Metal Products, Salem, Ore. Fabricated to match the height of the wall, metal’s formability eliminated the need for joints and seams contributing toward a well-sealed energy-efficient envelope. At some window openings, the metal panels transition seamlessly into the building becoming an interior finish to help blur the distinction between interior and exterior space.

Another goal was to design the collection area in a way that would allow for easy expansion in the future. Using an efficient structural steel module and metal wall panel cladding, the collections’ rectangular form reflects the order and symmetry of the stacks. This and using metal panels will allow the library to easily grow and expand with the community.