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Projects   Project Portfolio – January 2006
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Desert Broom Public Library

Phoenix, Ariz.
richärd + bauer

Richärd+Bauer designed the new Desert broom Library in Phoenix as a nurturing presence on an untamed site


Photo © Bill Timmerman
   

By Ingrid Spencer

Whether the result of Will Bruder setting a new standard for library design with his 1995 flagship Phoenix Central Library, the city’s 2001 move to make the Phoenix Public Library (PPL) a separate city department, or the rainmaking by Toni Garvey, the city’s dynamo of a head librarian, Phoenix continues to build libraries that break the mold and redefine the building type. With the completion of the 15,000-square-foot Desert Broom Library, in north Phoenix, Richärd+Bauer takes the concept of redefinition to another level, creating a striking yet harmonious addition to the desert landscape, clad in weathered steel.

For Jim Richärd, AIA, principal with Richard+Bauer Architects, building in the arid Sonoran Desert meant preserving the authenticity of what was there. Desert Broom’s site, with its braided streams, arroyos, and abundance of wild brush and saguaros, offered a metaphor that gave the project direction. A young saguaro needs the shade and nutrients provided by an older, stronger tree or shrub, and the design of the library embraces the metaphor physically—the library’s 25,000-square-foot roof extends 60 feet from the building, to shade visitors and provide comfortable outdoor spaces—and philosophically. “Libraries nurture intellectual growth,” says Richärd. “We took that concept a few steps further.”

Looking surprisingly delicate, strands of metal rebar stand in curtainlike waves under the roof’s great overhang, defining the library’s outdoor spaces without totally enclosing them. In other places, a series of openings penetrate the roof, allowing light to come through, unfiltered outside and distilled through colored and clear glass inside. Indoors, the architects echoed the rebar waves with undulating screens of metal mesh, delineating certain areas, such as a lounge and computer-resource tables.

Desert Broom has shelves loaded with enough multiple copies of recently released DVDs to put the local Blockbuster to shame; self-checkout areas; a meeting room sectioned off with frosted glass; staff and computer training areas; a teen section with listening stations for audio CDs; and reproductions of classic Midcentury Modern furniture scattered about for those visitors who actually came for the plentiful supply of books or magazines.

While the southeast wall of the building is clad in Cor-Ten steel panels patinated to a rusty brown, the southwest wall of the library—in anticipation of expansion—features a double layer of polycarbonate panels with cotton insulation stuffed in between. Daylight seeps through the translucent panels and renders the wall a glowing conclusion to the space.

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the People

Owner
City Of Phoenix

Architect
richärd + bauer
1545 West Thomas Road
Phoenix, AZ 85015
p. 602.264.1955
f. 602.264.9234
www.richard-bauer.com

Project architects:
Steve Kennedy, AIA / Erik Koss

Interior designers:
Kelly Bauer, IIDA & Stacey Kranz, IIDA

Architect of Record
James Richärd, AIA

Engineer(s)
Civil /Structural:
KPFF, Inc.
2800 North Central Ave, Suite 1010
Phoenix, Arizona 85004
602.264.1010
www.kpff.com

Consultat(s)
Landscape:
E-Group
817 North Central Ave.
Phoenix, Arizona 85004
602.462.9000
www.egroupinc.com

Lighting:
richärd + bauer
1545 west thomas road
phoenix, arizona 85015
www.richard-bauer.com

General Contractor
Linthicum Constructors, Inc
20789 N. Pima Road, Suite 250
Scottsdale, Arizona 85255
480.515.1700
www.linthicumcorp.com

Photographer
Bill Timmerman
382 North First Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona 85003
602.420.9326

the Products

Structural system
Maricopa Metals- Steel Structure

Exterior Cladding
Metal/glass curtain wall:
Mill finish steel wall panels- Elwary Construction; Glazed aluminum curtain wall- Mirror Works

Wood:
Bold framing (FSC certified Lumber)

EIFS, ACM, or other:
EIFS- Apodaca wall systems
Polygal polycarbonate wall panels- Mirror Works www.mirror-works.com

Roofing
Built-up roofing:
Polyurethane foam insulation- Arizona Foam and Spray www.arizonafoam.com

Glazing
Skylights:
glass and polycarbonate- Mirror Works www.mirror-works.com

Insulated-panel or plastic glazing:
Acylite Plexiglass- Mirror Works www.mirror-works.com

Doors
Entrances:
Aluminum and glass

Interior FInishes
Paints and stains:
Dunn Edwards (low VOC’s) www.dunnedwards.com

Plastic laminate:
Nevamar www.nevamar.com

Resilient flooring:
Econights rubber flooring www.ecosurfaces.com

Restroom floor tile:
Crossville, eco-style www.crossvilleinc.com

Carpet:
- Field carpet tile: Shaw, green with envy collecion- ducks in a row.
- Pattern accent at information desk/check-out desk: Shaw, green with envy collection-common sense
- Teen area stripe: Shaw, green with envy collection- first in line
- Color accent tiles: Shaw, synthesis iii
www.shawfloors.com

Access flooring:
InterfaceAR TecCrete www.interfacear.com

Furnishings
Collection space
Shelving: Estey; End Panels: Custom Maple Plywood by Chris Fischer Productions, Inc.

Meeting room/conference
Seating: ICF, Bird Chair www.icfgroup.com; Tables: Bretford, Here flip top tables www.bretford.com; Lectern: Wilkhahn by Steelcase www.steelcase.com

Administrative area:
Desks: Herman Miller, Passage www.hermanmiller.com; Seating: Herman Miller, Aeron chair www.hermanmiller.com; Files: Herman Miller, Meridian www.hermanmiller.com; Guest seating: ICF www.icfgroup.com, Bird armchair, with Maharam Repeat Dot Ring upholstery www.maharam.com

Periodicals living room lounge area:
Lounge chairs: Herman Miller, Alvar Aalto armchair 400 www.hermanmiller.com with Knoll Cuddle Stripe upholstery www.knoll.com; Sofa: Keilhauer www.keilhauer.com, Canal Sofa with Knoll, Cuddle Cloth upholstery www.knoll.com; Tables: Danko www.peterdanko.com, Legato with Forbo Marmoleum tops www.forbo.com

Public computer area:
Round tables: Werndl by Steelcase, Emerge custom tables www.steelcase.com; Seating: Brayton www.brayton.com, Enea stools

Reading area:
Tables: Werndl by Steelcase, Emerge tables www.steelcase.com; Seating: Knoll Studio www.knoll.com, Bertoia wire side chair with Spinneybeck leather www.spinneybeck.com; Table lamp: artemide, Logico lamp www.artemide.com

Children's area:
Custom Interactive Learning Panels at bookshelves: Burgeon Group; Tables: Danko www.peterdanko.com, Child’s Legato table with Forbo marmoleum tops www.forbo.com; Seating: Danko, Child's Bodyform chair in Red and Violet www.peterdanko.com; Sofa: Keilhauer www.keilhauer.com, Canal Sofa with Maharam, Small Dot Pattern upholstery www.maharam.com; Lounge chairs: Herman Miller, Alvar Aalto Armchair 406 www.hermanmiller.com

Teen’s area:
Lounge chairs: Herman Miller www.hermanmiller.com, Alvar Aalto armchair 400 with Knoll, Cuddle Stripe upholstery www.knoll.com; Lounge tables: Danko www.peterdanko.com, Legato with Forbo Marmoleum tops www.forbo.com; Computer tables: Werndl by Steelcase, Emerge www.steelcase.com; Seating: Brayton, Enea stools www.brayton.com; Other Seating: Circular bench by ICF Bank B3 www.icfgroup.com; Study Tables: Brayton www.brayton.com, Enea; Study Seating: Brayton www.brayton.com, Enea

Computer training area:
Tables: Werndl by Steelcase, Emerge tables www.steelcase.com; Seating: ICF, Supersonic Swivel Chair www.icfgroup.com

Wireless lounge area:
Lounge seating: Brayton www.brayton.com, Latitude chairs with Knoll, In the loop upholstery www.knoll.com; Tables: Danko www.peterdanko.com, Legato with Forbo marmoleum tops www.forbo.com

Outdoor reading terrace:
Tables: ICF, Splash table www.icfgroup.com; Seating: ICF, Splash chair www.icfgroup.com

Check-out/ information desk:
Task seating: Steelcase Leap chair www.steelcase.com; Guest seating: ICF www.icfgroup.com, Bird armchair with Maharam Repeat Dot Ring upholstery www.maharam.com

Lighting
Interior ambient lighting:
- Lighting at Computer Tables: Tech Lighting- curvilinear low voltage track www.techlighting.com
- Lighting at Check-Out/Information Desk: Erco- low voltage track www.erco.com
- Lighting at Computer Training Area: Delta Light www.deltalight.com
- Lighting at Meeting room: SporLight

Other lighting:
Se’Lux www.selux.au.com, Bartco Lighting www.bartcolighting.com, Abolite www.lsi-industries.com, Lithonia www.lithonialighting.com

Plumbing
Meridian www.meridianplumbing.net, Sloan www.sloanvalve.com, Kohler www.kohler.com, Elkay www.elkay.com

 
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