St. Norbert's College Mulva Library

Mulva Library

Link to December 9 Green Bay Post-Gazette article, "Mulva Library carries through campus theme: Red brick reflects historical look of St. Norbert campus".

Excerpt: St. Norbert College opened in 1898 with one building, Main Hall. Its first building fully dedicated to be a library opened in 2009, with planners conscious of consistency.

"It's a modern building that's sensitive to its context," says Michael Flynn, project manager for Performa Inc., the architect of record.

The choice of colonial red brick and pre-cast concrete mimics the historical look and feel of brick and limestone on the rest of the campus buildings.

The library isn't "too dependent or derivative on the past but sensitive to it," Flynn says.

Highlighting the exterior architecture features are the front entrance and a nearby oval.
"We have a curtain wall aluminum system at the front entrance with a canopy," Flynn says. "I think it really mixes in well with the historical feel of the brick. And then we have the champagne color anodized aluminum door front. It gives it a nice modern look, very welcoming."

The use of glass enhances an interior galleria connecting two entrances. Glass also is used extensively for day lighting in library reading entrances