Project background
The design for the 7,500sqm library and classroom building proposed the active pursuit of sustainable, low energy design and also offered a strong aesthetic identity, as one of three new facilities in the masterplan to be added to the campus over a 20 year period.
The design reflects the environmental factors to which it responds – most notably, variable wind conditions. These forces are harnessed by the warped concrete roof to increase the velocity of air currents which creates negative wind pressure at a series of “wind towers” and garden courts that are displaced vertically from the volume of the building and thus eliminate the need for mechanical ventilation. The building is ventilated entirely through natural “stack effect” ventilation. Fresh air is brought into the building through wind scoops that become iconic elements in the new student quadrangle.
Cooling is facilitated throughout by wind towers that pull fresh air upward through the building, while natural light is directed downward into the interior. Much consideration is also given to how the building is situated in the larger context of the campus and provides a clear vision for community improvement at both the planning and architectural levels of design.
Last updated: 16-February-2011