When the Maplewood, Minn., community needed a new library, HGA Architects, Minneapolis, designed a 31,000-square-foot (2,880-m2) library nestled into a site of mature trees and adjacent to a parkland and new sculpture garden.
“Within the Ramsey County Library System, everybody wants another Maplewood because of the library’s welcoming design, how well it fits into its natural setting and how comfortable it is,” said Jane Dedering, HGA’s senior interior designer on the project. “The Maplewood Library has also become the living room for the community because of its easy access to reading materials, fireplace and artwork, comfy chairs, and views to the trees and wetlands outside.”
The library is made of two modular components: The entry components, which is oriented toward the street, is clad in an expanded metal rainscreen system and anodized to achieve an array of colors and patterns. The second form, oriented toward the park, is clad in zinc shingles and houses the library’s main collections and major patron space within a flexible floor plan.
M.G. McGrath, St. Paul, Minn., fabricated and installed 7,428 square feet (690 m2) of 0.03-inch (0.7-mm) zinc-coated sheet-metal panels with a flat seam in graphite gray by RHEINZINK America Inc., Cambridge, Mass., that measured 21-inches by 37-inches (533-mm by 686-mm) finished. M.G. McGrath also fabricated and installed a decorative expanded aluminum cladding system that was 0.08-inch- (2-mm-) thick, 5005 H34 alloy, offset 3/16 inch (5 mm) in a diamond-hole pattern. The mesh panels were 2-feet- (0.6-m-) wide by various lengths and color anodized by AaCron Inc., Minneapolis, in five colors: black, dark bronze, wine, burgundy and red. Also used were 7,157 square feet
(665 m2) of 12-inch- (305-mm-) wide, 26-gauge, “V-Crimp” galvanized metal panels manufactured by Metal Sales, Louisville, Ky., with a Kynar 500 black finish by BASF, Florham Park, N.J. These panels were placed behind the mesh panels.
The Ramsey County Library-Maplewood meets LEED certification requirements for site orientation, mechanical systems, daylighting and material selection. More than half the existing trees on the site were saved by HGA through careful building and construction staging. An additional 20 red maples along with a variety of native shrubs and grasses were planted to help provide shade to interior spaces. Rain gardens, native grasses and the existing meadow grasses help filter run-off and reduce irrigation requirements. High-efficiency lighting and mechanicals, in addition to recycled materials and the reuse of shelving from the old library, were used. New technology for the library included customer-directed service delivery, automated material handling and built-in flexibility for the future.
“As they move about the library, patrons continually connect with and rediscover the park and wetland through the multiple views-provided by openings from floor-to-ceiling window walls to narrow slices of glass-that we oriented to allow for constant visual access to the park,” said E. Tim Carl, AIA, design architect for the library.
The city’s signature maple-leaf design, along with the maple seedpod, were abstracted and incorporated throughout the library. The signage helps convey a sense of place by uniquely defining specific areas.
“The community wanted a library that, even though it’s part of a county system, means something to the residents of Maplewood,” Dedering said. “Their new library has a sense of place that’s reflected in its sensitive siting and design, and it’s an integral part of the community to which it belongs. Because it’s so responsive to the community, it’s become a source of community pride.”
Ramsey County Library-Maplewood, Maplewood, Minn.
Award: 2007 AIA Minnesota Honor Award for Design Excellence
Architect: HGA Architects and Engineers
General contractor: McGough Cos.
Metal fabricator and installer: M.G. McGrath
Zinc-coated sheet-metal panels: RHEINZINK America Inc.
Coating: BASF
Anodizer: AaCron Inc.
Galvanized panels: Metal Sales Manufacturing Corp.
Photos courtesy of Albert Vecerka/Esto
