Gulf Construction Online - Wonders of wood resonate at library

Ceilings, Floors and Partitions

American walnut throughout the Zayed University library ... strong aesthetic presence.

Wonders of wood resonate at library

AHK Interiors chose American walnut for the Zayed University library because of its strong characteristics like its straight grained appearance, durability and high resistance to heartwood decay.

01 February 2012

INTERIOR designers tasked with providing an inspirational ambiance at one of the largest university libraries in the Middle East have made optimum use of American walnut to create the stately elegance demanded by the project at the new multi-million-dollar Zayed University campus.

The new campus library is prominently located in the heart of the campus in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and has been designed by Hadi Teherani, an internationally-reputed German architect.

Construction of the new facility took over seven months to complete, with more than 200 workers working on and off site to create what has been widely received and praised as an attractive and very endearing venue for research and reading by both students and faculty alike.

AHK Interiors, a leading interior design, project design and management firm was awarded the joinery works for the campus under a Dh15-million ($4 million) contract with Al Habtoor Murray and Roberts Venture. The contract included the construction and implementation of fixed joinery, general cupboards, feature glass walls, timber floors and radial shelving.

The 40,000-sq-m library is part of the 28 new buildings that have been completed for the new campus inside Khalifa City. Particular focus was given to the new library, which is the university’s premier learning resource facility for both students and faculty. The new library, which has been valued at over Dh3 billion ($816 million), takes on a circular arena-like setting and houses around 150,000 books from the Zayed Library collection.

The architects followed a design concept based on the traditional amphitheatres of yore, where students sat around a circular-based theatre while the teacher would lecture from the centre of the theatre. AHK Interiors decided on showcasing the dark earthy colour of American walnut throughout the whole library, proving its strong aesthetic presence from the library’s flooring and bookshelves, to the wall featured wood cladding.

The AHK design team was asked to present the library in such a way that it showcased a jointless veneer appearance, highlighting the continuous flow of the natural grain of American hardwood to be used. The group was also requested to be consistent in the colours that they had hoped to achieve for the overall feel of the library.

“We had chosen to use American walnut across the whole library because of its strong characteristics like its straight grained appearance and its durability, being highly resistant to heartwood decay,” says Carrie Das, design manager, AHK Interiors. “Basically, this new library lives, breathes and emanates the key beauty provided by such a strong and durable hardwood like American walnut. In fact, the walnut successfully features a modern look while still keeping true to the nostalgia of historic libraries. It was also able to warm the environment and simultaneously provides a modern, classic and comfortable feeling.”

The initial two months of construction were spent in AHK’s 15,000-sq-m closed area furniture factory in Antalya, Turkey, ensuring the delivery of the best quality service in terms of production. Activities in the Turkey factory included the production of the 17-tonne 30-mm veneered medium density fibreboard (MDF); cutting the MDF according to the curved radius on the CNC machine and have it wrapped around the structured steel elements with all perforated sheet welded joints and structural steel elements to remain concealed behind the veneered shelves and vertical gables.

The following five months covered the installation of structural steel elements, veneered MDF installations, timber floor installation and the welding and installation of the powder-coated perforated sheeting. All woodworks produced from the AHK Turkey factory comply with all requirements defined by ISO 9001:2000 quality management system and ISO 14001:2006 environmental management system.

“Our participation in creating a world-class educational facility illustrates our skills in combining aesthetic and operational requirements to produce harmonious and complete results that exceed our clients’ expectations. This project also reflects our move to expand our services and expertise by setting a standard of excellence according to internationally accepted values,” adds Mike Swain, project manager of AHK Interiors.

During the implementation of the design, the team also had to deal with key challenges in installing American walnut. The first concern involved the installation of the shelves, which had a height of 4 m and the laminate had to be book matched to maintain the specified continuous grain lines. In terms of grain alignment, the top of each bookcase, which was clearly visible from the third floors, had to be aligned from the centre point to the laminate on top.

The 40,000-sq-m library is part of the 80-hectare Zayed University campus.

The designers tried to avoid the use of light colours as the staining of the American walnut followed a clear finish and showcased the dark earthy colour of the hardwood. Also, a chief concern during the construction of the library was the slight damage and minor scratches on the wood, which were very difficult to repair and conceal. Lighting was also a key issue, with the architect’s design allowing light to pass from 7 m above the walnut flooring and has been designed to suit the walkways between the shelves.

“Our design team was presented with three key requests for the new library. The first request was that we had to present the library in such a way that it showcased a jointless veneer appearance, highlighting the continuous flow of the natural grain of American walnut. The group was also requested to be consistent in the colours that we had hoped to achieve for the overall feel of the library,” says Swain.

The end result is a warm and circular-like reading and research facility that holds 4,500 bookshelves between metal mesh made up of 12,000 sq m of walnut veneer with seven different levels ranging from 3 m to 8 m in height and has proven to be truly inspirational and conducive to learning.

The library instantly captures the eye with its shelves being presented in a circular row setting with special sections housing search computers and sitting areas where students can spend time reviewing and reading the books. In fact, the centralised seating area provides a contrast view from the third floor. The tiered shelves harmoniously match the ceiling’s tiered design. The library also has a reverse wall behind the reception counter, which ably blends well with the bookshelves and the contrasting off-white second reception desk.

“We are very pleased with the results achieved in using American walnut for this project. The end product has an amazing feeling of a traditional library amidst a modern facility like the new Zayed University campus. So far, we have been getting very good feedback from students, faculty and visitors saying it is a great space,” says Vicki Aronis, design manager, Al Habtoor, Murray & Roberts.

The Zayed University campus covers an 80-hectare expanse that will house all academic buildings, recreation facilities and residential accommodation. The final build out of the campus will eventually provide education facilities for 6,000 students, as well as related faculty and support staff.

Founded in 1996, AHK Interiors Contract Furniture carries out projects in the fields of interior design, project design and management. With its head office located in Antalya industrial zone and the Middle East office located in Dubai, UAE, AHK Interiors also conducts mass production on both fixed and loose furniture. It also implements interior works on a turnkey basis for hotels, residential areas, offices and business/shopping centres under the name of AHK Interior Design Contractor.

American hardwood is promoted worldwide by the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), a leading international trade association for the US hardwood industry, representing exporting US hardwood companies and all the major US hardwood production trade associations. The council runs a worldwide programme to promote American hardwoods in more than 50 export markets, concentrating on providing architects, specifiers, designers and end-users with technical information on the range of species, products and sources of supply. In addition, AHEC also produces a full range of technical publications.