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Georgia Gwinnett College Library
and Learning Center

Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA


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. The 95,000-square-foot, technologically advanced knowledge center incorporates individual and group study spaces, reading rooms and classrooms as well as a café and general multipurpose room.

 

Creating a sense of transparency was a key design element that was achieved with extensive use of glazing throughout the building. The focal point is a 42' tall curtain wall on the north side of the library and learning center. Kawneer lent its engineering expertise to help with the construction of the curved wall, ensuring it worked in relation to the rest of the building. Kawneer curtain wall products were used to increase daylight and enhance the building envelope’s transparency. The versatility and reliability of Kawneer products made them an ideal solution for the GGC Library and Learning Center.


Products Used:
 1600 Wall System™1 Curtain Wall
1600 Wall System™2 Curtain Wall
Trifab™ VersaGlaze™ 450 Framing System 2" sightline
Trifab™ VersaGlaze™ 451/451T Framing System
350 Medium Stile Entrances
Versoleil™ SunShade - Outrigger System - for Curtain Wall - Custom
Reynobond® ACM (Aluminum Composite Material) panels




LEED® Gold


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.

 

The result was a 95,000-square-foot, technologically advanced knowledge center that incorporates individual and group study spaces, reading rooms and classrooms as well as a café and general multipurpose room, which can be used by campus organizations for meetings or events. The GGC Library and Learning Center is LEED Gold®, one of only seven academic libraries in the nation. The GGC Library used more than 20% recycled products and regional products, thereby reducing waste and transportation emissions.

 

DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS

The focal point is a 42' 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.”

 

CHALLENGES

  • Bringing daylight and views of the surrounding campus into the facility was critical to meeting the architect’s and owner’s design requirements.
  • Effectively integrating the curtain walls with the other structural metal panels and bricks, while also creating a watertight and enduring structure that could handle heavy traffic.
  • Keeping this state-of-the-art facility and its construction as environmentally responsible as possible was key.

 

SOLUTIONS

  • Ideal for low- to mid-rise applications, Kawneer’s 1600 Wall System™1 Curtain Wall and 1600 Wall System™2 Curtain Wall 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. 
  • Kawneer lent its engineering expertise to help with the construction of the curved wall, ensuring it worked in relation to the rest of the building. A waterproofing membrane was used to ensure a watertight building that would function aesthetically and practically, keeping students dry and insulated as the climate changes.
  • In addition to incorporating curtain wall for daylight, custom 36" deep 1600 SunShades™ from Kawneer were utilized to shade the building’s interior and conserve energy.

 

The versatility and reliability of Kawneer products made them an ideal solution for the GGC Library and Learning Center. The coordination of
the project team and engineering experts also helped the project to meet its completion deadline.

 

 

ARCHITECT: LEO A DALY, Atlanta, Georgia
GLAZING CONTRACTOR: Glass Systems, Inc., Lithonia, Georgia
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: The Potts Company, Conyers, Georgia
PANEL INSTALLER: Kistler-McDougall Corp., Woodstock, Georgia

 

Photography: ©Creative Services Photography / Rion Rizzo


Georgia Gwinnett College Library and Learning Center [980]

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