Shelburne recently celebrated its 250th anniversary. The town, located in the state of Vermont (USA), has around 7000 inhabitants but it’s a city proud of its history and traditions. It is well known for its meticulous care of the historical buildings. Accordingly, the renewal of the municipal library, placed next to the city hall, was conscientiously designed.
The architectural idea of the project was to create a XXI century library, but at the same time, maintain the traditional appearance of the city council. To achieve this ambitious task, CUPACLAD 201 Vanguard rainscreen cladding system appeared to be the ideal solution, as it guarantees a smooth transition between tradition and modernity.
The building is highly efficient thanks to the latest architectural trends which were included, such as the ventilated façade system. The energy performance was one of the biggest priorities of the City Hall, Neagley & Chase Construction Company and Vermont Integrated Architecture (VIA).
“We first learned about the CUPACLAD System at the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association conference a few years ago. At that time, we were not looking for a product to be used to clad the exterior of Shelburne’s. But after seeing it and learning about all it offered, both city officials and all of us at VIA simply fell in love with the product”, acknowledges the architect Megan Nedzinski.
“In particular, we liked the fact that it needed little or no maintenance… and, offered long term durability. We knew it would be challenging for a municipal client to raise funds to include a product like this, which at first go around was not specified. But after considering the aesthetics of the product, and that it consisted 100% of a natural material, everyone agreed upon it”, assures Nedzinski.
“One major challenge was because the walls of the library were tall, we were apprehensive about load bearing factors. And because the building was designed with a Net Zero energy, exterior envelope of 4” thick insulation, the weight of the façade was a concern. The installation process was researched, and ultimately by crossing layers of z-girts, the CUPACLAD system was successfully adhered to the building’s exterior.”
The library is devised to fulfill the present and future needs of this public resource. Inside, there are open and flexible spaces to develop different activities, and the common areas have been renewed and adapted to the new technologies.
The outside is surrounded by green areas to make to make the environment more pleasant. The modern appearance of the library, enhanced with the use of natural slate, makes the overall result striking and elegant, whilst also visually appealing.
The new design is proven to be a complete success. Even though it’s been a sort time since the reopening, the Shelburne citizens have borrowed more than 100.000 resources versus last year.
“The greatest return from this job was that everyone seems to love the final results. It has given a special sense of pride to the community. And we just learned that the Pierson Library has extended its hours due to its overwhelming popularity!”, explains Nedzinski
Boule & Sons were in charge of the CUPACLAD installation,
“No one in our area had ever previously worked with the CUPACLAD System. However, we became excited about the product after learning about it; clearly we were up for the challenge. We are always up to try new products and methods that are innovative in our industry. We quickly found out that the system was easy to work with once we got started”, says Jacob Boules,
“CUPACLAD customer support was great,” added Boule. “We were supplied with easy, drawn out directions. Like everything new, there is always a learning curve, but ultimately, our guys in the field had no problems with the system at all. We look forward to working with the system again!”
PRODUCT USED: CUPACLAD®
The 201 VANGUARD rainscreen cladding system stands out due to its stainless steel clips, which are slightly visible at the bottom, contrasting with our natural slate.
Other case studies
More than 250 roofs are installed per day around the world with our slate.
Natural slate CUPA PIZARRAS has been highly valued by architects and has been selected for important projects within many cultural and historic buildings of interest, modern architecture or the construction or renovation of traditional housing.
Other case studies
More than 250 roofs are installed per day around the world with our slate.
Natural slate CUPA PIZARRAS has been highly valued by architects and has been selected for important projects within many cultural and historic buildings of interest, modern architecture or the construction or renovation of traditional housing.
If you have any questions, our experienced team on slate is at your disposal.
