Aluminum Dri-Design Tapered cassettes were installed at the Millwoods Library, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
The Project
4572m of aluminum Dri-Design Tapered cassettes were installed at the Millwoods Library,in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Tapered Series cassettes can be angled in any direction with varying depths and degree of slope.
Architect: HCMA Architecture + Design, Vancouver and Dub Architects Ltd, Edmonton
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Product: Dri-Design Tapered and Flat
Material: Aluminium
Design Freedom
The freedom to design each specific panel creates an unlimited capacity to create a dynamic, one-of-a-kind surface on nearly any façade without the need to modify the substrate or weather barrier.
“Dri-design was selected because they offered a compelling latitude to experiment. We were able to create an incredibly rich and surprising effect while maintaining a rational approach and straight-forward constructability,” says Michael Dub, a principal with Edmonton-based Dub Architects Ltd., which completed the joint venture project with HCMA Architecture + Design, Vancouver.
The two firms collaborated throughout every design phase to create a strong civic presence among buildings that lack profile.Darryl Condon, managing principal with HCMA, notes:
Dri-design was selected because they offered a compelling latitude to experiment. We were able to create an incredibly rich and surprising effect while maintaining a rational approach and straight-forward constructability.
Modularity and Texture
This goal was accomplished with the juxtaposition of open spaces and metal panels that blend to create a singularly strong structure. The building itself gives an open feel, allowing visitors to view interior spaces from the outside. When glancing inside, the public areas of the library appear to emerge from within the larger structure, and the support spaces of offices and meeting areas are hidden within.
Metal was a leading material choice from the beginning because it can be seen in other commercial facilities in the area, including malls and big-box retailers. The architectural team, therefore, believed
metal would add to the aesthetic of the neighborh ood. The civic space is defined within the area because the Dri-Design panels bring versatility, durability and texture to the centre. They also help to erode the building’s large scale.
Condon explains these metal panels brought the familiar with material and colour and the unexpected with modularity and texture.
Our strategy was focused on creating a bold form that asserts itself on the context. We wanted the public spaces of the library to be read clearly upon approach and for those spaces to have a strong visual connection with the site.
Sustainability
Dub notes: “We love the way the pixelated building catches the sun differently at different times of the days. Especially when it seems to dissolve into the sky at dusk.”
Sustainability drove many design decisions to serve as an example of a thoughtful public space; the building is LEED Silver pending. Dri-Design cassettes do not use joint sealants or gaskets, which are made with petroleum. The panels also do not have plastic cores, and the coatings have no VOCs. The metal is green by nature with its recycled content and recyclability.
