- Will Bruder
Will Bruder (born in 1946 in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin ) is an American architect most active in the American southwest. His ability to address the requirements of site, user experience, craftsmanship, and energy conservation, while still producing formally accomplished and beautiful buildings, is unusual in the profession.Bruder studied art and engineering, but had no formal university training in architecture. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture from the
University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1968, he worked and studied underPaolo Soleri , where he acquired field experience in woodwork, metal work, and masonry. Through apprenticeship with Soleri and with Michael Goodwin, he obtained registration as an architect and opened his practice in 1974.Bruder's largest structure and greatest achievement is the
Burton Barr Central Library inPhoenix, Arizona , a five-story, 280,000-square-foot (26,000 m²) civic landmark that houses an open, one-acre (4,000 m²) reading room and a five-floor, glass-and-steel elevator and stair well (the "Crystal Canyon"). The building incorporates aBuckminster Fuller tensegrity structure in its roof, and features motorized louvers on its south face for improved sun control. Unfortunately, the louvers never worked properly and were disconnected years ago. The only day they are functional is on the Summer Solstice, when they are manually closed for Bruder's annual presentation. The library is physically oriented for a display of sunlight alignment on equinox days.Other works include:
* Cholla Branch Library,
Phoenix, Arizona
* Rock Valley Art Center, Deer Valley, Arizona, 1994
* Temple Kol Ami,Scottsdale, Arizona , 1994
* Riddell Advertising,Jackson Hole, Wyoming , 1995
* Mad River Wedge,Jackson, Wyoming , 1997
* Townsend Residence, Paradise Valley, Arizona, 1997
* Byrne Residence, North Scottsdale, Arizona, 1998
* Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (annex), Scottsdale, Arizona, 1999
*Nevada Museum of Art ,Reno, Nevada , 2003
* Hercules Library, (Contra Costa County, CA) 2006
* Portland Main Library,Portland, Maine (under construction)External links
* [http://www.azarchitecture.com/ Search many definative archived photo examples of Mr. Bruder's work]
* [http://www.waltlockley.com/burtonbarr/burtonbarr.htm Illustrated appreciation of the Burton Barr Central Library in Phoenix, Arizona]
* http://www.willbruder.com
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
