The Burton Barr Library demonstrates an award-winning collaboration with Will Bruder that
successfully responds to site, program and budget considerations, while creating a symbolic destination for downtown Phoenix.

Innovation abounds in this design: a tension structure suspends the roof above the building’s columns and side walls; sensors regulate a computerized louver system on the building’s glazed south side, reducing solar heat gain; and the building’s five-story atrium is topped by 22 skylights, which track the sun’s movement and ensure constant natural daylight. All this is augmented by a modular lighting system so efficient it received the largest energy conservation rebate ever awarded by the local utility company, Arizona Public Service.