Metal Roof Adorns Community Library
by Jonathan McGaha | May 31, 2008 12:00 am
The 26,000-square-foot (2,415-m2) Encinitas Community Library in Encinitas, Calif., is located on an incomparable site overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It is the anchor for a larger master plan project that will include City Hall and a performing arts venue.
The project melds organic forms with strong rhythmic geometry to produce a large simple structure that offers shelter from the western sun while offering magnificent ocean views. The shape of the main vault recalls a large wave crashing on the local beaches and reinforces the community’s love for the outdoors and its attachment to the sea.
The character of the building is deeply anchored in La Jolla, Calif.-based Manuel Oncina Architects Inc.’s architectural tenets of “site-program- community.” The building is laid out with its long axis in the north-south direction and dug into the hill to maintain an intimate scale in the residential neighborhood.
Ochre-colored cast-in-place concrete with rough board forms constitute the larger portion of the edifice on the east and north elevations, while the south and west become transparent to absorb controlled daylight and respond to views. The color of the building celebrates Encinitas’ natural earth colors. A Cool Antique Patina standing-seam roof by AEP-Span, Dallas, provides a pleasant visual transition from the ocean to the earth and serves as an effective energy saver. Metal roofing was the clear choice from the start because of its durability, flexibility and ease of installation.
The library’s sustainable concept includes sensitive site layout and solar orientation; recycled materials: steel, concrete and copper; low-water use planting; low-E glass; under floor displacement ventilation heating and air conditioning; daylight sensitive dimming systems; and indirect electrical lighting. The project yields 25 percent energy savings below the required State of California standards.
C. E. Wylie, San Diego, was the general contractor and EMS Construction, Vista, Calif. was the roofing contractor.
Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/projects/metal-roof-adorns-community-library/