Whimsical Volumes by JON THOMPSON
project client
Henry A. Guerra, Jr. Branch Library, San Antonio
City of San Antonio
architect
Sprinkle Robey Architects
design team
Davis Sprinkle, AIA; Thom Robey, AIA; Jeff Langham;
Alan Neff contractor
All Construction
consultants
Slay Engineering (civil); Lizcano Consulting Engineers
(MEP); AccuTech Consultants (structural); Bender Wells Clark (landscape architects); Fugro South (geotechnical); Accessibility Unlimited (plan review); Edens (code/life safety) photographer
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t e x a s
Paul Hester
a r c h i t e c t
Architecture in San Antonio was once identified by a palette of materials and colors established by O’Neil Ford based on his appreciation of regional building traditions. Responding to the modernist ethos that demanded an honest expression of materials, this “natural” palette combined Central Texas limestone, a standing-seam metal roof, and wood with the grain stained rather than hidden under a coat of paint. Then, in 1995, came the San Antonio Central Library designed by Ricardo Legorreta, FAIA. The intense color of its EIFS exterior prompted the local paper to sponsor a contest to name that hue: “enchilada red” won. A common criticism of the building was that its blaring color ran contrary to the honest use of materials so indicative of San Antonio architecture. That would quickly change. The Henry A. Guerra, Jr. Library by Sprinkle Robey Architects continues the newly evolving tradition of colored stucco buildings in San Antonio, but the color in this instance is purple and the box has become a wedge. Also, the palette has expanded to include a variety of metal skins, perhaps a permutation of the traditional standing-seam roof. Not surprisingly, Sprinkle Robey was one of the local partners with Legorreta in the design of the Central Library. The Guerra Library is one of several new branches built with local bond money that became available in 1999. Located on Military Drive West, the branch library serves an area traditionally identified with Kelly Air Force Base. The working-class neighborhood is a nondescript stretch of asphalt lined with 1960s-era strip centers and tire shops. The architects realized early in the process that there was no “there” there; that is, no building tradition within which to work. How, then, could one create a contextual building when the context was so haphazard? Rather than blending with the immediate surroundings, it was decided that the library should stand as a landmark along the street. A slight curve in the road enhanced the effect, with a long
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