The West Pearland Library was a new branch addition to the Brazoria County Library System, adding a twelfth location to the system’s roster. The 39,000-square-foot building offers a 100-seat teaching room, multipurpose community rooms, private study rooms, an audio studio, and child-friendly play areas. On the outside of the facility, the library features an outdoor space with a small amphitheater and connects guests to the nearby Clear Creek Trail. The $19.82-million building replaced the Pearland Westside Library and is expected to be the most visited library in the county.

To deliver a modern and unique exterior to the library, the design team worked with CENTRIA and Wade Architectural Systems to craft the optimal panel solution and custom color.

Custom Colors, Trusted Performance

In collaboration with the design team, Wade Architectural Systems, a CENTRIA dealer, provided the optimal building envelope solution to showcase the contemporary colors and inviting atmosphere the County desired for its new location.

“We knew the performance CENTRIA delivered and the visuals the products would deliver, making them a good option for West Pearland,” said Peter Parnham, vice president at Wade Architectural Systems. “We trust the products and have seen the performance in the past. The design team knew they wanted a custom green color and CENTRIA was able to deliver on that.”

In total, crews installed 1,300 square feet of Intercept panels and 1,000 square feet of CENTRIA Concept Series CS-200 in the custom High Strung green. In addition, the team utilized 4,500 square feet of CS-660, 4,100 square feet of CS-623, and 2,600 square feet of CS-630 in CENTRIA’s Pewter XL to complete the building envelope while delivering varied textures around the library.

CENTRIA Intercept modular metal wall panels allow for design versatility by incorporating different substrates, depths, tapers, curves, and perforations into an easy-to-install rainscreen. The modular system delivers protection and aesthetics with clean lines and tight corner bends. Intercept is compliant with regulations for air, water, structural, High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, and AAMA 508.

Concept Series single-skin panels feature concealed fasteners and a common-lock joint that allows panels to be integrated with each other and installed horizontally or vertically. The versatile rainscreen panels can be installed to form a complete rainscreen wall system with stand-off clips providing a ventilation cavity and drain plane behind the panel.

Opening the Next Chapter

Wade Architectural Systems worked with the team from PGAL to detail the project and select the custom color used on the library.

“Working with the PGAL team from the start ensured that the project was completed efficiently, all details were correct, and there were no surprises when it came time to install,” Parnham said. “We could ensure the wall construction was correct, and the CENTRIA panels were designed to perform at their best.”

Project drawings and design were released to production in September of 2021 and panels shipped to the jobsite in November 2021. Construction was completed and the library opened in March 2022.