Georgia Gwinnett College Library and Learning Center
CREATING A STATE-OF-THE-ART LEARNING CENTER THROUGH SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND HIGH-PERFORMING PRODUCTS
Nestled in the lush green campus of Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) in Lawrenceville, Georgia, is the state-of-the-art library and learning center designed to serve as the intellectual center of the 8,000-student campus. To meet the social and academic needs of the large community as well as allow for campus-wide growth and success, the building was constructed using several Kawneer products to integrate the daylight needed for a studious environment within a physical structure that effectively shields the library’s delicate contents from environmental factors.
The Atlanta office of architecture, planning, engineering, interior design and program management firm LEO A DALY was selected to design a space that brought the feeling of being outside directly into the building. The college envisioned a library that would fit a “campus of tomorrow.” It was important for both the college and the project team to build a library that had world-class facilities while meeting the standards of sustainable design. Lithonia, Georgia-based Glass Systems, Inc. was selected as the project’s glazing contractor, and The Potts Company, headquartered in Conyers, Georgia, served as the project’s general contractor.
The main focal point for the building is a 42-foot tall curtain wall on the north side of the library and learning center. The large wall covers the main atrium, providing views to and from the campus green, outdoor amphitheater and campus pathways, and holds the Research Commons as well as many of the main book stacks. Creating a sense of transparency was a key design element that was achieved with extensive use of glazing throughout the building. Mark Buser, project manager with The Potts Company said, “You can stand 800 yards away and see people inside the library pulling books.”
Bringing daylight and views of the surrounding campus into the facility was critical to meeting the architect’s and owner’s design requirements.
Ideal for low- to mid-rise applications, Kawneer’s 1600 Wall System®1 and 1600 Wall System®2 with proven reliability and versatile features were used to increase daylight and enhance the building envelope’s transparency. Additionally, Kawneer’s Trifab® VG (VersaGlaze®) 450 framing system was used in the interior of the building to increase visibility and allow natural light to extend throughout the library and learning center.
