Concrete masonry was specifically chosen for this project for its sustainable properties, long term durability, costs and energy efficiency, and the opportunity it presented for texture and color. Used in combination with wood and plaster, the masonry provided opportunity to develop strong architectural statement that clearly defined the buildings organization and reinforced the architect's goal of allowing the building detail to be expressed in how the building is constructed.
The original campus is defined by concrete masonry unit (CMU) buildings with minimal exterior glazing and mansard tile roofs. The college expressed their desire for a new library to continue the on campus construction tradition, while creating a new architectural image that implies the future of higher learning.
A limited building budget dictated a disciplined design solution. A simple building form, efficient structure, and elegant details make the most of modest materials. The palette of building materials consist of burnished concrete masonry units as an enriched material, plaster, metal, and glass. The judicious use of materials, detail, and form allowed for selective areas to be more elaborate creating the impression on students of being in a place for higher education.
This project is commendable for its very simple and sculptural forms, responding to the site and adjacent building. The solid concrete masonry blocks forms are pulled away from each other, then linked lightly with a glass box to create clear circulation, and to bring an abundance of natural light into the interior space.
Banded concrete masonry block walls contribute to blurring the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces by giving them equal treatment. The bands are constantly random without beginning or end.
The block wall on the east side curves to acknowledge a sister curve at the adjacent community center. This curve also has a surprisingly positive on the interior acoustics of the gym by broadly dispersing sound. Glass units are scattered through this wall, which nicely allows sun in the morning and court lights at night to filter through the block.
The two-story campus buildings, constructed with concrete masonry walls, are positioned to provide protected exterior courtyard spaces. Structural and decorative use of concrete masonry units (CMU) helped to provide a resourceful solution to a variety of design criteria:
Safety: Protection from drive-by shootings, a major concern of the district, was provided by constructing all campus buildings out of concrete masonry.
Cost effective: By specifying a sandblasted finish on a natural grey block, this design solution provided an attractive, durable, low maintenance and cost effective solution for the district.
Aesthetics: The modularity and inherit strength of concrete masonry symbolically the individual of each student and the strength that can be found when a community come together.
Concrete Masonry was utilized as both structural and finish material on interior and exterior surfaces for over 185,000 square feet. A reduction in transportation pollution was also achieved by specifying locally manufactured concrete masonry units.
Sustainable design is incorporated by maximizing southern exposure, the library takes optimal advantage of the sun for daylight and passive solar heat. Therefore, to protect the interior from solar exposure, the west facing wall utilizes concrete masonry units (CMU) as a major component of the building materials; the CMU used was manufactured locally, and the post-industrial waste was recycled into a road base material.
The design of the building reflects its “industrial” nature of the site by utilizing man-made materials and exposing the skeleton of the buildings to the exterior. The building construction is comprised of reinforced concrete masonry with steel-frame infill support, steel floor and roof framing with concrete filled steel decking. "Shot-Block" was specifically selected to provide a softened, shot blasted, building face next to the hard edge of structural steel, high performance glass and steel-troweled plaster. The selection of masonry as a structural building system was also essential because of an accelerated construction schedule.
The Metro Administration building was designed to attain a "Gold Certification" from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in energy and Environmental Design (LEED) 2.1 rating system. A few of the sustainable design features of the building include:
