University’s new building draws attention
by Jonathan McGaha | December 31, 2008 12:00 am
Judson University in Elgin, Ill., needed a new facility to house its expanding Benjamin P. Browne Library and its fledgling architectural program. The building was to draw both attention and acclaim.
Architectural firm Short & Associates, London, was chosen for its design plan of the building, as well as the firm’s experience in utilizing natural ventilation systems.
The 88,000-square-foot (8,176-m2) building is divided into the library and studios, classrooms that are shaped like a bowtie, and the academic offices and studios that are shaped like a bar.
The main building, made mostly out of concrete, features exterior walls that sit approximately 4 feet(1.2 m) away from the building, providing space used for natural ventilation. The space between the inset windows is the open shaft that utilizes the natural tendency of warm air to rise, creating a vacuum that draws cool air in at the bottom, circulating it and exhausting it through rooftop ventilators. The upward pressure of the stacks draws air on each floor laterally, while many ceilings and walls are exposed to radiate coolness or warmth. A basic mechanical heating and cooling system provides essential temperature control during the months when the natural mode isn’t possible.
Additionally, the building features an integrated photovoltaic system and other innovative recovery devices, aiding in the quest for a LEED Gold rating.
Wiesbrook Sheet Metal, Plainview, Ill., was the wall and roofing panel installer for the project. Every roof and wall panel on the building’s three wings was custom cut and fit. The wall panels were also custom fabricated. McElroy Metal Inc., Bossier City, La., provided more than 104,000 square feet (9,662 m2) of 4- by 10-foot
(1- by 3-m) fl at sheets with a Kynar 500 Copper Penny coating for the wall and trim. More than 24,700 square feet (2,295 m2) of Medallion-Lok roof panels with a Kynar 500 Ash Gray coating were also used. All Kynar 500 coatings are from Arkema Inc., Philadelphia.
Burnidge Cassell Associates, Elgin, was the architectural consultant, and Shales McNutt, Elgin,was the general contractor.
Arkema Inc.
McElroy Metal Inc.
Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/projects/universitys-new-building-draws-attention/