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SMCL

About SMCL

​About ​SMCL

​​The Bui​lding
​Size: 50,000 square feet
Opened: September 24, 2011
Architect: richärd + bauer, llc
Image of South Mountain Community Library

Building Materials

38,000 square feet of copper (76,000 pounds)
2,850 cubic yards of concrete
150,000 pounds of reinforcing steel
2,000 tons of aggregate materials
665,000 tons of steel
35,721 square feet of glass
58,000 square feet of cedar walls and ceilings​


​The Partnership

​Read a brief history​ of the collaboration between Phoenix Public Library and South Mountain Community College. 

The Award​s

  • 2013 American Institute of Architects/American Library Assocition, Library Leadership & Management Association Library Building Award
  • 2012 President's Award - American Society of Landscape Architecture, Arizona Chapter 
  • 2012 North American Copper in Architecture - Copper Development Association Inc.
  • 2012 Excellence in Design in Education - International Interior Design Association, Southwest Chapter
  • 2012 Award of Merit in Design in a Public Facility - International Interior Design Association, Southwest Chapter
  • Named one of 5 New Landmark Libraries (Academic) by Library Journal in 2012
  • 2012 North American Copper in Architecture Award - Copper Development Association, Inc.
  • 2012 Valley Forward Crescordia Award for Environmental Excellence - Buildings and Structures, Civic
  • 2012 Valley Forward Crescordia Award for Environmental Excellence - Buildings and Structures, Institutional
  • 2012 Valley Forward Crescordia Award for Environmental Excellence - Art in Public Places​

​The Art​

Public Art

A multi-faceted public artwork, "Passage" by Mags Harries and Lajos Héder with poet Alberto Rios, begins with steel letters embedded in concrete in the plaza at the library's west entrance and continues to a shaded pathway that connects the library to the Western Canal Bridge, providing a pedestrian link to the Legacy Village Shopping Center.  Speakers set in acoustic chairs in the plaza play recordings of poetry curated by Rios that reflect the community and local landscape.  Four trellises spanning the path between the library and canal feature cut-out letters that cast poems in shadows along the path.  The project was commissioned jointly by the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture Public Art Program and the Maricopa County Community College District.  (Download a bookmark about the project.)

​

"Baseline Blooms"

"Baseline Blooms" is a collaborative community poem compiled by Arizona poet Alberto Rios.  More than 30 community members of all ages submitted a few words, a line, phrase, short memory or observation about South Mountain communities, including Phoenix and Laveen.  The poem was presented at the library's one-year anniversary celebration on September 29, 2012.  (Download a bookmark of "Baseline Blooms" in English or Spanish.)​

 

South Mountain My Maricopa

Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) is an EEO/AA institution and an equal opportunity employer of protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin. A lack of English language skills will not be a barrier to admission and participation in the career and technical education programs of the college. The Maricopa Community Colleges do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs or activities. For Title IX/504 Concerns, call the following number to reach the appointed coordinator: (480) 731-8499. For additional information, as well as a listing of all coordinators within the Maricopa College system, visit the following weblink: https://district.maricopa.edu/consumer-information/non-discrimination-statements.