True to the College of Idaho’s vision for the space, the school’s new Cruzen-Murray Library is a light and airy environment that gives students the sense of being surrounded by something much bigger than themselves. The library eschews the cloistered spaces for quiet learning found throughout traditional academic libraries and instead embraces a dynamic space that offers students ample opportunities for intellectual exchange. To allow for future adaptability due to shifting technology and academic needs, the team designed a flexible floor plan with access flooring to distribute ventilation, power, and data resources.
Throughout the highly sustainable library, a series of passive and active measures work together to significantly reduce its energy and water consumption, including on-site management of all stormwater run-off and a geothermal heat pump system. The library is wrapped with an insulated glass curtain wall that is shaded by a series of perforated metal shade fins, all carefully arranged to draw natural light into its interior spaces throughout the day. The library has become a community source of pride, hosting and supporting a variety of community engagement activities.
Bio Richärd | Kennedy Architects is a studio-based, integrated architectural and interiors practice focusing primarily on Higher Education, Research, Public and Academic Library design, and
Diplomatic Facilities. The studio was founded in 1996 by architect James Richärd FAIA, and Stephen Kennedy AIA. Each of the principals of the firm was educated at the University of Arizona in the Tucson Sonoran Desert, developing sensitivity to the context of the region and environment. To that end, the firm remains an intimate scale of 25 highly skilled and motivated people.
Other prizes College of Idaho: Cruzen-Murray Library Awards: • 2022 AIA/ALA Library Building Award • 2021 The Chicago Athenaeum, International Architecture Award • 2019 SEAOA, Merit Award • 2018 AIA Arizona, Honor Award • 2018 AIA Western Mountain Region, Design Excellence Honor Award East Las Vegas Library Awards: Certified LEED Gold • 2020 NAIOP Southern Nevada, Honor Award, Special Use • 2019 AIA Nevada, Citation Award, Built Category • 2019 MUDA Award, Public Places Category • 2019 ULI Placemaking Award, Community Place OBO: Matamoros, Mexico Awards: Certified LEED Gold • 2021 The Chicago Athanaeum, International Architecture Award • 2021 BuildSouth Awards - International • 2021 AIA Northern Virginia: Excellence in Institutional Architecture • 2020 ENR Global Best Projects, Best Government Building Asante Library Awards: Certified LEED Silver • 2022 AIA/ALA, Library Building Awards • 2022 Arizona Forward: Environmental Excellence Award • 2022 RED Awards, Recreation or Public Works Project of the Year • 2021 RED Awards, Merit Award • 2021 The Chicago Athenaeum, International Architecture Award • 2021 SEAOA, Merit Award
