above:The wall assembly in late summer when it is covered with leaves and other debris.
The outermost layers of the façade are a series of mesh screens that gradually filter out dirt, leaves and garbage and begin to mediate the thermal environment. These layers are rendered with ice or a fine mist depending on the season—a strategy that provides the small addition with a connection to the seasons and to the senses. The project sees ‘dirt’ and weather as building materials versus something that needs to be edited out.
a change of season The layers of the wall are a series of screens that successively filter debris and protect the interior. The filtering process shows on the outside of the building as debris collects on the screen and create temporary patterns that reflect subtle daily changes and more drastic seasonal changes.These mediating layers are located on the north and east façades. South and west are solid walls –radiant surfaces that condition the space in combination with a ventilation system not unlike how the body itself operates. Radiant transfer is shifted from the air to the interior surfaces. The layered screen walls contain nozzles that envelop the wall in a fine mist which freezes on the screens in the winter and works as an evaporative cooling system during the summer, much like perspiration on a human body. Each of the perfomative strategies deployed in the building are visually reinforced: fallen leaves in October collect on the building as they do on surfaces in the park; ice builds up on the walls the way it does on bare tree branches; the building sweats in a heat wave. Rather than thinking of buildings as defence against the environment, they can be participants in it, strengthening the relationship between our bodies and our environment. n
right: Wall section showing the outer layers of the façade. Expanded metal panels are mounted at vary- ing angles to allow ice and debris to collect in an uneven fashion.
Michael Blois
below: Visitors enter and leave the library in between the screen and glazing layers.
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