100 Word Description: The goal of the James B. Hunt, Jr. Library was to challenge the role of the 21 st Century library within the campus environment. The information-rich building serves as a campus social center which supports the evolving and complex needs to research and study. A series of monumental circulation stairs draw the user up and throughout the building to maintain a sense of openness and connectivity. The playful pattern of solar blades weaves across the façade in direct relationship to the movement of the stairs. Hunt Library stands as the intellectual and social center on NC State University’s Centennial Campus.
Architect’s Statement:The new Hunt Library on Centennial Campus provides support for the growing education and research facilities as well as the growing residential population on this satellite campus. 100 enclosed study rooms supporting student collaboration are equipped with technology, writing surfaces and acoustical separation for student discussions. Spaces exist for learning support such as music and video production rooms, a video conference room, a gaming area and technology labs to simulate various learning activities. At the core is the bookBot robotic retrieval system which allows almost immediate access to the 1 million volumes in the collection. Space is provided for up to 2 million volumes.Requiring 1/9 the space of conventional shelving, the bookBot helps transform this library from a storage facility into a 21 st century environment of learning and collaborative spaces. The yellow monumental stairs weave their way from the main entry up and through each floor level terminating at the highest occupiable space on campus the Skyline Reading Lounge and Terrace. Along the way, the stairs open up and act as social gathering spaces for users. The Teaching and Visualization Lab’s rich technologies open up the worlds of command/control room simulations, immersive interactive computing and comparative social computing. The LEED Silver building provides abundant natural light and expansive views of the Academic Oval and nearby Lake Raleigh. The high-performance curtain wall system is not only a major design element, creating a dynamic aesthetic statement on the exterior of the building, but it also provides a number of performative functions associative with building comfort. The system includes a variety of fritted glass types and fixed external aluminum solar blades to help diminish heat gain while maximizing views and ambient natural light. The pattern of solar blades weaves its way, in long graceful movements, across and up the façade where it dissipates at the long overhang above the Skyline Terrace.
Type of Construction: The structure of the building is steel frame on concrete footings with cast-in-place concrete retaining walls. Unitized curtain wall, aluminum solar blades, and aluminum composite and GFC panels make up the exterior skin. The interior consists of painted gypsum wall board, acoustic wood panels, acoustic metal ceilings, and wood and terrazzo floors.
