Malawi Library
Type: new construction (in design)
Architect: Steven Holl Architects
Location: Lilongwe, Malawi
Feasibility study and concept-level design for a 70,000 sqft, open floor plan library on a new campus in Lilongwe, Malawi. Structural scope included analysis of the tiered, undulating, wave-like roof supported by a series of sloped steel columns converging at a series of custom nodes at the foundation. Design of the tiered roof, a focal point of the architecture to allow for both airflow and light, posed a particular structural challenge as the roof diaphragm was segmented into discrete parts, requiring each bay to act as a standalone lateral system. Additional studies were conducted of perforated and patterned exterior screens in reinforced or unreinforced brick masonry and bamboo. Hermona led the Silman structural engineering team as Senior Engineer and assistant project manager.
