Phoenix Public Library l Arizona l Architect: Gould Evans Associates + Wendell Burnette Architects

Inner-City Scapes Reaching customers where they live and plkay is the focus of the Palo Verde Library/Maryvale Community Center, as two somewhat disparate activities find common ground and rejuvenate a neighborhood. Photos by Bill Timmerman

2 | Reinvigorating a Community

The New Icons The Ten New Landmark Libraries Popular Creek Public Library Palo Verde Library/ Maryvale Community Center Cesar Chavez Branch Library Hamilton Mill Branch Library Durango Public Library Sammamish Library Appaloosa Branch Library Agave Library Roseville Library Anythink Wright Farms Ten More That Will Inspire Criteria and Judges

Look no further if you’ve ever wondered just how much a shared-use project can bring to an inner-city neighborhood. To get the answer in Palo Verde, they took a somewhat disheveled park with a big pool, added an interconnected community center and a library, then mixed in pedestrian walkways that link up to public transit and are cooled by native shade trees. Now a beloved but dilapidated park that was a liability is an asset, and the community is invigorated and involved. In short, Palo Verde Library/Maryvale Community Center is a living demonstration of how cross-pollination creates stronger services and neighborhoods.

This shared-use facility brings the Parks Department and the library together on the same campus to emphasize the connection between the mind and the body. In the process, it has created a safe place in which to learn, grow, and play. It’s a great example of “whole community” or “rejuvenation” design—where strategic public investment improves the quality of life, and the inherent value, of a part of town.

Perhaps the best news is that now there is a mixing and sharing of visitors across the services, new types of cardholders for each, and a built-in teen volunteer force that increased over 600 percent in the first year. Already some homes on the park perimeter have been improved.

Open design breeds engagement Early input from residents and staff has had a lasting effect. Many residents feel a sense of ownership to keep the building safe and vandal free. Cooperation between Parks and the library resulted in extra program spaces such as a shared auditorium that seats 250, a private staff lounge, a weight room, a walking track, a health advice office, and senior and teen lounges that were not in the original budget. Plus, acoustical treatment for the gym means it can be used as a secondary multifunctional space for either organization.

Large expanses of glass make the activities in each space visible to the other across a central shaded promenade. What better way to “connect the dots” between these mind-body services. Plus, the transparency helps prevent inappropriate behavior and makes everyone feel safer.

“Streets” inside the shared complex, as well as those to the pool and into the park and beyond, serve as pedestrian links to park amenities, parking, public transit, and the surrounding neighborhoods.

In the library, flexibility, the byword of today’s modern library, was achieved through column-free spaces and a type of raised flooring called low-profile access floors that accommodate easy changes. The open plan allows for staffing at two prominent service points to survey the action across the space.

Standard sizes, uniquely used The tight budget of $137 per square foot was met through the use of standard-size, maintenance-free materials. Plus, the owners wanted materials that could stand up to the vandalism and abuse that comes with a high-use facility.

Green principles led design choices but without pursuing LEED. The successful effort to reduce required parking by more than half saved money and was green, indeed, but it took a citywide parking study of like settings to get a variance. Xeriscaping and native plants help to reduce the urban heat island effect. High-efficiency water-cooled heat pumps offer a five-year payback. In staff areas, recycled rubber tile flooring, ubiquitous in New Landmark Libraries, is low maintenance and sustainable. Daylighting strategies include a series of spectacular daylight tubes that punctuate the high ceiling and flow light into the big box–like central space.

By ditching the cellblock look of the past to create an architectural presence so transparent and unified in design, Phoenix has successfully woven the mind-body spirit of this inventive collaboration into the fabric of the neighborhood community. Need more proof? The community center has the highest foot traffic in the Phoenix Parks Recreation System, and the library has the second highest for Phoenix Public Library branches. Stealing words from one judge, the project is an “an absolute marvel” and a must-see for any community even casually considering a multiuse facility.