A Colonial Conundrum

Tiverton, RI, is faced with a major challenge and great opportunity: say goodbye to the 70-year-old, 2400 square foot main building of Tiverton Library Services (TLS) and create a massive 31,000 square foot energy-efficient library service hub true to the town's Colonial roots, all while complying with Gov. Donald Carcieri's mandate for public buildings to be as green as possible.

In what is essentially a beach community, TLS serves a population of 15,000 with two historic buildings. The Essex Public Library, built in 1938 from funds donated by a summer resident, can hold just 30 persons. A smaller second facility, the Union Public Library, is designated a reading room. A committee for a new building was established in 1987; 20 years later, a purchase agreement (about $800,000) was signed for land to accommodate a new library.

The five-and-a-half-acre, mostly wooded site, including protected wetlands, will also feature affordable housing for an arts colony and a renovated recreation field as part of a community revitalization plan. The new location, essentially in the town's geographic center, will be easily accessible from anywhere in Tiverton. The Essex and Union buildings, as landmark structures, would be repurposed.

Bill Brown, of Browning Day Mullins Dierdorf Architects of Indianapolis, took on the Tiverton project for LJ's Design Institute. In general practice, Brown conducts a two-day charrette, gathering designers and locals to explore a particular design problem. After receiving background and specs from Kathy Ryan, president of the Friends of Tiverton Libraries and cochair of the Tiverton Library Building Committee, Brown led a “virtual charrette” via email with citizens of Tiverton. In asking them to relate the “essence of Tiverton,” their “image” of the building, Brown sensed the townspeople feared losing the New England character they treasure.

In the breakout session in Chicago, Brown displayed for Tiverton director Cheryl Aboudola and the group his plans for a one-story Colonial building, a two-story Colonial (according to Brown, when you go over 21,000 square feet, it pays to stack up), and a one-story “organic” concept. Brown's first design, looking more like a complex of buildings, breaks up the mass on the outside, though not necessarily on the inside. The one-story option has more surface area, but it's less efficient owing to increased heat loss.

According to Brown, traditional Colonial architecture “wants” to be two stories, to have some height. The two-story design would occupy the site more compactly, in accordance with pedestrian and highway access and access to the refurbished recreation area.

The two-story plan includes a two-level atrium and a garden roof deck people could access from the second level. According to Brown, the load posed by a green roof is much the same as for a regular roof.

In terms of green design, particularly daylighting, having the building face due south makes it easier to control light with shade; facing north, there is less heat gain. With a two-story program, most of the glazing is on the second level.

The question then becomes: Where is the front entry? Most patrons would enter through the parking area. Aside from other concerns, a two-level structure requires that a limited number of staff oversee the most spread-out library area.

The third design, which captured most attendees' imaginations, was a one-story organic structure referred to as the “spaceship” (though it appears more like an amoeba or handlebar mustache). It incorporates an earth-sheltered design, facing south. “It's all about getting light into the library,” said Brown.

It also would allow for the most energy efficiency, but the library would have to give up a back door. In keeping with the history of the area and natural environment, stone would be a dominant material. It may not be “traditional,” but, as Ryan pointed out, traditional in New England would be Native American.

Participants were enthused by the green roof idea: perhaps, they said, it could become a private reception area, a possible café, or an amphitheater as a jazz-themed brunch/performance space, playing off the Newport Jazz Festival vibe. (Tiverton, part of Newport County, is just 14 miles from the city of Newport.)

No matter the design, green features to consider would be the use of clerestory windows or light shells for daylighting, a solar system for hot water, and photovoltaic panels to convert sunlight into electricity. One participant suggested a wind turbine shaped like a sail in keeping with Rhode Island's nautical legacy. With the mind-boggling addition of space, the library could now look to add programming and update resources: “It doesn't make sense to go green if you're not going to reinvent your services,” said one participant.

The Tiverton townspeople were impressed overall with the practicality and economics of green design; as of mid-April, the final closing date on the property was still not set. The state funding formula for approved new buildings is a 50 percent match at $200 per square foot for construction, though other covered costs might inflate that amount. A capital referenda for the town's share might be on tap for a 2010 ballot.