Library Features Zinc Exterior Supporting 100-Year Lifespan
Kentucky’s LEED Gold-certified, award-winning Louisville Free Public Library (LFPL) Northeast Regional Branch features naturally sustainable RHEINZINK-prePATINA® graphite-grey zinc exterior wall cladding. Designed by JRA Architects and MSR Design, the newly constructed, 40,000-square-foot facility serves 170,000 people in eastern Jefferson County as more than information center.
American public libraries seek designs to both realize their potential for the 21st century and to create spaces that will serve their communities far into the next century. Blending modern amenities within a historical landscape, the LFPL Northeast Regional Branch presents a “pavilion in the park.” Shaded by mature heritage shade trees, a stylized front porch entry welcomes visitors to the library.
RHEINZINK-prePATINA exterior wall cladding contributed to the LFPL’s aesthetic, performance and sustainable goals. The double standing seam zinc panels form the façade’s arched, overlapping, metal “curtains,” which frame openings to reveal the activity within the library’s contemporary interior. RHEINZINK’s natural material further supports the building’s resiliency and longevity with a lifespan of up to 100 years or more.