Will Bruder Architects’ Burton Barr Phoenix Central Library receives the 25-year award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Photo © Bill Tillerman The American Institute of Architects (AIA) honors the Burton Barr Phoenix Central Library, Phoenix, Arizona, designed by Will Bruder Architects, with the Twenty-five Year Award. The award is given to a building that has served as a role model for 25 to 35 years and continues to set standards in terms of its architectural design and significance. Despite its origins as an artificial artifact, the 26,013-square-meter library, with its weathered copper-clad and sculpturally curved east and west facades, has been compared to the many table mountains across Arizona. The glazed north and south facade of the library rises above the low urban fabric of the surrounding residential and business district and offers a contrast and reveals its true essence by day and by night, allowing glimpses into the one million volumes of the collection, the energy of its Patrons, AIA said in a press release. Inside, the library was organized on its five levels as a “knowledge warehouse”. Visitors can enter from the west or east, where stainless steel columns in the facades mark the entrances. Luminous passages that lead to the library’s 27 m high atrium await them, as well as three glass high-speed elevators and a large translucent staircase that protrudes from a reflecting pool. The architecture helps to simplify the library collection layout and improve accessibility. On each level, the glazed north and south walls offer views of the Phoenix city network and the mountains beyond. On the fifth level there are communal tables under the 10 m high, openwork roof structure of the reading room. Working closely with Ove Arup & Partners, now known as the Arup Group, the architects saw the library as a hallmark of passive design from the start. Prior to creating the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program for sustainable design, the team optimized the passive energy goals through highly efficient and innovative mechanical and lighting solutions, primarily 305 mm (12 in) precast concrete, solar control glazing and gas coolers. In 2010, 15 years after it opened, the library received a LEED-EB silver rating badge. After 25 years of heavy use and functional shifts, the library still carries its architectural identity and reflects the need for libraries that can adapt to change, AIA said. Will Bruder Architects has been the on-call architect of the library since it opened and managed the conversion of the rooms and the establishment of new departments as well as the meeting and work areas that are intended to promote start-ups.
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