AIA Twenty-Five Year Award honors Phoenix Burton Barr Central Library by Will Bruder and DWL
12/05/2021.
[Phoenix] USA
metalocus, MARÍA FERNANDA MORA
metalocus, MARÍA FERNANDA MORA
The Burton Barr Phoenix Central Library, by Will Bruder Architects and DWL Architects, has been selected to receive the AIA's Twenty-Five Year Award. The library was completed in 1995, and since then has conveyed excellence and adaptability in its architectural design that is still relevant today.
Recent winners of the prestigious American award include Conjunctive Points - The New City by Eric Owen Moss Architects, the Sainsbury Wing by Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, the Grand Louvre by I.M. Pei, the Monterey Bay Aquarium by EHDD, the Broadgate Exchange House by SOM and the Washington D.C. Metro rail system by architect Harry Weese, to name a few.
Recent winners of the prestigious American award include Conjunctive Points - The New City by Eric Owen Moss Architects, the Sainsbury Wing by Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, the Grand Louvre by I.M. Pei, the Monterey Bay Aquarium by EHDD, the Broadgate Exchange House by SOM and the Washington D.C. Metro rail system by architect Harry Weese, to name a few.
Burton Barr Phoenix Central Library by Will Bruder Architects and DWL Architects. Photography by Bill Tillerman.
Burton Barr Phoenix Central Library by Will Bruder Architects and DWL Architects. Photography by Bill Tillerman.
Burton Barr Phoenix Central Library by Will Bruder Architects and DWL Architects. Photography by Bill Tillerman.
Burton Barr Phoenix Central Library by Will Bruder Architects and DWL Architects. Photography by Bill Tillerman.
Burton Barr Phoenix Central Library by Will Bruder Architects and DWL Architects. Photography by Bill Tillerman.
Burton Barr Phoenix Central Library by Will Bruder Architects and DWL Architects. Photography by Bill Tillerman.
Burton Barr Phoenix Central Library by Will Bruder Architects and DWL Architects. Photography by Bill Tillerman.
Burton Barr Phoenix Central Library by Will Bruder Architects and DWL Architects. Photography by Bill Tillerman.
Burton Barr Phoenix Central Library by Will Bruder Architects and DWL Architects. Photography by Bill Tillerman.
Site plan. Burton Barr Phoenix Central Library by Will Bruder Architects and DWL Architects.
Ground floor plan. Burton Barr Phoenix Central Library by Will Bruder Architects and DWL Architects.
First floor plan. Burton Barr Phoenix Central Library by Will Bruder Architects and DWL Architects.
Second floor plan. Burton Barr Phoenix Central Library by Will Bruder Architects and DWL Architects.
Third floor plan. Burton Barr Phoenix Central Library by Will Bruder Architects and DWL Architects.
Foruth floor plan. Burton Barr Phoenix Central Library by Will Bruder Architects and DWL Architects.
Section. Burton Barr Phoenix Central Library by Will Bruder Architects and DWL Architects.
The Phoenix Burton Barr Central Library was incorporated into the urban environment of Phoenix in 1995, quickly becoming an icon of late 20th century modern architecture. With its form and materiality, the Phoenix Burton Barr Central Library evokes the mysteries of the surrounding desert landscape and continues to be a premier destination for citizens and admirers of architecture from around the world.
Will Bruder Architects and DWL Architects + Planners, both based in Phoenix, were commissioned for the Burton Barr Central Library in 1988 by the city's mayor's office, committed to advancing the city's architecture. Both firms had already contributed to the contemporary architectural vocabulary of the city of Phoenix, which is why they received the unanimous vote of selection.
Will Bruder Architects and DWL Architects + Planners, both based in Phoenix, were commissioned for the Burton Barr Central Library in 1988 by the city's mayor's office, committed to advancing the city's architecture. Both firms had already contributed to the contemporary architectural vocabulary of the city of Phoenix, which is why they received the unanimous vote of selection.
"Burton Barr Central Library reflects the values and diligence of an engaged public, led by visionary civic leaders committed to making a mark of quality, inclusion, and sustainability in the urban core of Phoenix"
Kate Gallego, current Mayor of Phoenix.
The architectural team conducted in-depth research hand-in-hand with the community, through an extensive series of public meetings and programming sessions, exploring all functional aspects with the city librarian, staff, and other key officials, and even taking representatives on a week-long tour of five cities of similar recently completed facilities in other states and Canada. In addition, the team undertook extensive program analysis, site analysis, and intensive technical research to begin to conceive the architecture of the library.
The library was one of the first facilities to adopt major sustainable strategies in public architecture. In close collaboration with Ove Arup & Partners, the architects conceived the library as a hallmark of passive design from the outset. Before the creation of the LEED program for sustainable design, the team optimized passive energy goals through innovative, high-efficiency mechanical and lighting solutions. In 2010, 15 years after opening, the library received a LEED-EB Silver rating plaque.
"Library uses around the world have evolved substantially over the past 25 years. As this nomination makes clear, the Phoenix Central Library has demonstrated a great ability to adapt to these changes and serves its purpose as well today as the day it opened."
Jonathan Moody of the AIA in a letter nominating the library for the 25 Year Award.
After 25 years of intensive use and necessary changes in functionality, the library still retains its architectural identity and reflects the resilience of libraries, being able to adapt to change. Will Bruder Architects has acted as the library's on-call architect since its opening, directing the reuse of its spaces and the addition of new departments, as its university and professional resource.
More information
Architects
Engineering
Civil Engineer .- Hook Engineering. MEP Engineer.- OVE ARUP Partners California with Baltes Valentino Associates. Structural Engineer.- OVE ARUP Partners California.
Builder
General Contractor.- Sundt Corp.
Collaborators
Consultant - Library.- Mason Associates. Consultant - Library.- Bob Rohlf, Professional Library Consultants. Consultant - Lighting.- Lighting Dynamics. Consultant - Daylighting.- Tait Solar Company. Consultant - Construction Cost.- Construction Consultant Southwest. Consultant - Structural Fabric.- FTL/Happold. Landscape Architect.- Martino and Tatasciore.
Will Bruder. Will Bruder Architects
Will Bruder Architects is an architectural practice led by FAIA member Will Bruder and drawing on his focused vision and over forty years of professional experience, the practice seeks to create original and functionally poetic architecture, interior design, and urban planning solutions that celebrate the aspirations of its clients and are appropriate to the contexts in which they inhabit.
Will Bruder. For 46 years, Will Bruder has explored inventive and contextually exciting architectural solutions in response to the opportunity of a site and the needs of the user. His work celebrates the craftsmanship of building in a way that is not typical of contemporary architecture. Through his creative use of materials and light, Will is known for his ability to elevate the ordinary to the extraordinary.
Opening his first studio in Arizona in 1974, Will moved his studio to downtown Portland, Oregon in the spring of 2019. He has directed work for over 650 commissions, received prestigious national awards, lectured, and been published worldwide. He has held visiting professorships at MIT, IIT, Yale, the University of Southern California, the University of Wisconsin/Milwaukie, the University of Toronto, the University of Virginia, Portland State University, and the University of Oregon.
A self-trained architect, Will holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He supplemented his artistic training with studies in structural engineering, philosophy, art history, and urban planning. He then completed architectural internships with Paolo Soleri and Gunnar Birkerts. He was a recipient of the Rome Prize for Advanced Design at the American Academy in Rome in 1987 and was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) in 2013.
Will Bruder. For 46 years, Will Bruder has explored inventive and contextually exciting architectural solutions in response to the opportunity of a site and the needs of the user. His work celebrates the craftsmanship of building in a way that is not typical of contemporary architecture. Through his creative use of materials and light, Will is known for his ability to elevate the ordinary to the extraordinary.
Opening his first studio in Arizona in 1974, Will moved his studio to downtown Portland, Oregon in the spring of 2019. He has directed work for over 650 commissions, received prestigious national awards, lectured, and been published worldwide. He has held visiting professorships at MIT, IIT, Yale, the University of Southern California, the University of Wisconsin/Milwaukie, the University of Toronto, the University of Virginia, Portland State University, and the University of Oregon.
A self-trained architect, Will holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He supplemented his artistic training with studies in structural engineering, philosophy, art history, and urban planning. He then completed architectural internships with Paolo Soleri and Gunnar Birkerts. He was a recipient of the Rome Prize for Advanced Design at the American Academy in Rome in 1987 and was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) in 2013.
Drover, Welch & Lindlan. DWL Architects + Planners
Founded in 1949 by Richard E. Drover and Frederick P. Weaver as a residential design partnership. In 1968 the firm reorganized as Drover, Welch & Lindlan Architects. In 1984 the firm was renamed DWL Architects + Planners, Inc.
Today DWL Architects + Planners is a large regional practice, based in Phoenix, Arizona. Their architectural philosophy seeks to balance function, efficiency, context and aesthetics. They believe that what looks good can work well; and what works well, lasts.
DWL has designed many residential buildings in Arizona. Among their most significant works are such iconic structures as Arizona State University, Charle's Trumbull Hayden Library and Pedestrian Mall (1966), Wells Fargo Arena (1974, formerly the University Activities Center), Burton Barr Central Library (1995 - with Will Bruder Architects), and Terminals 2, 3 and 4 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (1962 - with Lescher & Mahony, 1979 and 1990).
Today DWL Architects + Planners is a large regional practice, based in Phoenix, Arizona. Their architectural philosophy seeks to balance function, efficiency, context and aesthetics. They believe that what looks good can work well; and what works well, lasts.
DWL has designed many residential buildings in Arizona. Among their most significant works are such iconic structures as Arizona State University, Charle's Trumbull Hayden Library and Pedestrian Mall (1966), Wells Fargo Arena (1974, formerly the University Activities Center), Burton Barr Central Library (1995 - with Will Bruder Architects), and Terminals 2, 3 and 4 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (1962 - with Lescher & Mahony, 1979 and 1990).
