Bruder was a student of Paolo Soleri, where he acquired field experience in woodwork, metal work, and masonry.
After graduating from college in 1969, Bruder spent a year as an apprentice of Gunnar Birkerts, where he aided in the design of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston.
The building incorporates a roof inspired by Buckminster Fuller's tensegrity structures with motorized louvers on its south face for sun control.
The reading room on the fifth floor has skylights that allow sunlight to shine directly onto the top of each corresponding column on solar noon of the summer solstice.
[5] In 2008, the library was chosen as one of the Phoenix Points of Pride,[6] and in 2010, it received a LEED Existing Buildings Silver 2.0 designation.
[clarification needed] The building was awarded a LEED Silver rating because of its use of thermal and shading technologies, raised floor systems, and indirect lighting in office areas.
[17] Situated in a suburban shopping center, the construction recalls the tradition of drive-in movie theaters common in post-war American suburbs.