Advanced Learning Library

Technology and innovation that are modern and engaging drove the design and product selection for the Advanced Learning Library in Wichita, Kan.Citadel Architectural Products’ Envelope 2000® metal composite material (MCM), installed using the RainScreen (RS) attachment system with its modern, sleek and custom options, fit well into this concept.

Jeff Kuhn, an architect with GLMV Architecture, Wichita, took inspiration for the library from Wichita’s existing art and architectural attractions. The design team wanted to create a building that formed a physical and visual connection between downtown Wichita; the historic Delano District; Exploration Place, a science and discovery center with a modern concrete geometrical design; and the Keeper of the Plains, a steel Native American sculpture. Both metal and concrete, pulled from these artful motivations, are the primary façade materials for the library. “The form of the building really draws upon these connections,” Kuhn adds.

Sheet Metal Inc., Wichita, installed 13,864 square feet of Envelope 2000 RS in a Liquid Copper color. The panels were fabricated by Architectural Metals North America, Stoney Creek, Ontario,Canada, and distributed by JD Day & Co., Blue Springs, Mo. Envelope 2000 RS consists of 4-mm-thick MCM panels with a durable, 0.105-inch thermoset phenolic resin core that provides an ultra-smooth substrate. The RS system allows incidental moisture to enter and then exit through weepholes. The two-story, 105,200-square-foot building has many 90-degree angles. The challenge for the design and construction team was to establish clean and watertight adjacencies between the metal wall panels and the precast concrete walls.

“We’ve used Citadel on past projects and have been very impressed with how well the products have held up over time,” Kuhn says. “We also appreciated all the extra time, attention and thought the local Citadel rep gave us to really get the most out of the metal panel products.”

The Advanced Learning Library, which replaces a smaller space just a few blocks away, is an open, light-filled ,engaging, multi-functional facility with dedicated sections for technology,teens and children along with areas for non-fiction and genealogy/local history. Meeting areas, a café and classrooms offer the community more than before, and the library staff is thrilled to be housed in one centralized office and department location.

For those looking for a spot to truly appreciate the design concept, Kuhn suggests heading to the reading terrace. He says: “You really get a sense of the connection the building is trying to make from this location. You also get an up close and personal look at how all the building materials play off of one another to form this very modern, sleek and great public building.”