Copper clads the outside of the new South Mountain Community Library in Phoenix, giving it a unique aesthetic that helps it stand out in the Arizona desert. Its architecture reflects the complexity and interconnected nature of both the information and the programs that it houses, while the relatively simple form is derived by the extrusion of both vertical and horizontal program elements that create opportunities for internal interconnections, exterior views, natural daylighting and access to exterior spaces.
The library’s unique design is based on the architecture of an integrated circuit, and the building provides insulation between disparate functions while promoting the interaction and interconnection between similar functions and spaces. The structural steel building is sheathed in a naturally ventilating copper rainscreen, whose pattern is an abstraction of the digital bar code. The skin flows into interior vestibules reflecting natural light throughout the day. The building also features five insulated lanterns that introduce light into the core of the building down to the first level, providing a soft lantern effect during evening operating hours.
Complementing the copper cladding throughout, the library’s interior is lined with cedar strips that reinforce the form’s simplicity. To tie the building to the surrounding area’s history, abstracted agricultural patterns are digitally imprinted on the skylight liners and laser cut from the surrounding guardrails. Recalling a circuit board pattern, the building systems are organized and expressed within an independent distribution soffit that also integrates the space’s ambient lighting. Thin accessible flooring provides flexibility for power and data for the informational spaces’ changing needs.
Completed in August 2011, the 51,600-square-foot library is located on the campus of South Mountain Community College, and serves as both a public and academic community college library. One of the primary goals was to thread together both types of entities, which was accomplished by integrating distinct program components of each entity into one cohesive learning environment and workspace.
Due to the building’s dual functions, it has two entrances-one from the west for the community college and one from the east with public parking. The public library functions occupy the ground floor, incorporating discrete areas for children, popular library, teens and media collections, as well as public meeting rooms, a café and technical services. Academic programs affiliated with those within the public library are organized on the second level around vertical interconnected spaces, providing a discrete connection while maintaining critical organization within each discipline.
South Mountain Community Library, Phoenix
Award: Winner in the New Construction category of the 2012 North American Copper in Architecture Awards
Owner: Maricopa County Community College District and City of Phoenix-Phoenix Public Library, Phoenix
Architect: Richärd+Bauer Architecture LLC, Phoenix
General contractor: Haydon Building Corp., Phoenix
Glass Installer: ACI Glass Products LLC, Memphis, Tenn.
Curtainwall: Trulite Glass & Aluminum Solutions LLC, Deerfield Beach, Fla., www.trulite.com
Copper/sheet metal contractor: Progressive Roofing, Phoenix, www.progressiveroofing.us