Anythink Nature Library

overview 

Designed to support the concept statement of “Help People Find Their Place in Nature,” this library is divided into zones identified as ABOUT nature, IN nature, WITH nature and FOR nature interspersed throughout the building, which is set on a 15-acre site within the Aylor Open Lands. 

We are providing structural design services to Davis Partnership Architects for the 33,000-square-foot nature library, which features assembly spaces, environmental labs, play areas and a kinship garden, as well as office spaces and meeting rooms. 

Highlights 

• The building is a steel-framed structure with tall ceilings, complex curving geometry and a prominent steel feature column at the entryway.
• Poor soil conditions, including expansive soils, were addressed by providing a steel-framed structured ground floor slab supported on deep foundations. Close attention was paid to building movements to mitigate the impact of poor soils.
• To address the complex geometry of the structure, we are utilizing parametric modeling to optimize the design and promote efficiency. This use of technology also enables us to provide an economical structural design.