Walter C. Koerner Library UBC
Architectura in collaboration with Arthur Erickson
Vancouver, British Columbia
Terri
Meyer Boake B.E.S. B.Arch. M.Arch.
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Walter C. Koerner Library UBC Architectura in collaboration with Arthur Erickson Vancouver, British Columbia
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About the building: This is the main library building at UBC. I was intrigued by the way that its major faces were all developed quite differently, theoretically to suit their orientations. However, the face illustrated above faces east, and there was no real shading provided against the morning sun. The glazed "fins" would shade as the sun proceeded in a southerly direction only. The rear facade that faces west has diamond shaped punched windows. These work well in cutting out excessive heat and glare from the afternoon sun. The main stairwell is top glazed and uses a number of interesting structural features and forms. It was excessively hot as I reached the top floor on the day of my June visit. The windows on the building are all fixed; ie. no natural ventilation. Natural ventilation in the stair space would have helped to make it more comfortable.
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| Front/east
side of building. |
South/east
side of building. |
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| Materials
detail of south/east corner.. |
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| View
up centre front stair from exterior. |
South
west corner of building. |
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| Detail of
rear/west facade. Lounge in glazed space at top. |
View of back/west
side of building. Reading cubicles sit behind diamond shaped windows.
see below. |
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| Corner detail
of north/west corner of building. |
Base detail
of front of building. |
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| View inside
lobby looking up space between front of building and stair. |
Looking east
out and down stair from top floor. |
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| East view
out of stairwell from top floor. |
Looking west
through lounge space at top floor. This space is not naturally ventilated
and it was extremely HOT on the June day of my visit. |
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| View looking
up main stairwell at steel HSS structural trees. |
Reading cubicles
at front/east side of building. |
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| Reading
cubicles at rear/west side of building. |
Reading cubicles
at rear/west side of building. |
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The images on this site have been taken for use in my teaching. They may be copied for educational purposes. Please give credit. These images may not be reproduced commercially without written consent.
last updated May 8, 2012 |
