Part of the Solution

San Francisco just “gets” sustainable thinking, and conversations that happen there about green design—from the bottom of geothermal wells to the top of living roofs—are richer than anywhere else. Green is in the air, perhaps because everyone is starting out with a big picture green plan informed by state and local initiatives as well as a long history of being right up against the scarcity of natural resources. (California is home to the Sierra Club, the politics of water as played in Chinatown, and the 1970s slogan, “If it’s yellow, let it mellow,” after all, and that’s just skimming the top of environmentally sensitive thought there.) That’s what LJ found when we held the Design Institute West (DI West), May 9, a packed day of programming on green library design held in partnership with the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) and the California State Library. We gathered at SFPL with 138 participants and architects and vendor sponsors to delve into sustainability issues through two panel discussions, six “design challenge” breakout sessions (see p. 16–17 for coverage of those and the architect sponsors who led them), and a packed green product hour, featuring vendor sponsors 3M Library Systems, Agati Furniture, DEMCO Library Interiors, David Edward Company, and LucaLight.

The intensity surrounding the need to work as a society to address global warming was apparent right out of the gate. “We need to get 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gases in the next few decades,” declared architect David Schnee, of Group 4 Architecture, Research + Planning, Inc., in the morning panel. “I’d argue not for modest improvements but for going for zero energy [use].”

That panel, with California state librarian Susan Hildreth moderating, focused on sustainable design in libraries and the community. Much of the conversation revolved around counteracting “green fatigue” by striving to build awareness of the real issues and impacts of climate change, as well as the real benefits of taking action. Stephanie Kingsnorth, of Pfeiffer Partners Architects, Inc., stressed the need to do life cycle analysis on building projects. The real picture provided by this metric, she said, helps get stakeholders involved and establishes a framework that ensures “you deliver on the promises.”

Phoenix city librarian Toni Garvey (2004 LJ Librarian of the Year) agreed, saying you must think 20, 30, even 40 years down the line. She urged the development of a partnership that can help educate librarians, with people from public works and engineering departments, as well as architects.

The talk turned to tactics very quickly. Scott Shell, of EHDD Architecture, pointed out that about one-third of energy use in libraries is in “plug load” from computers and other tools, which can be reduced by one-third. Garvey talked about intelligent lighting— “we cut half our lights, and it didn’t impact security,” she said, an effort that has the side benefit of decreasing the effect of night lights on the wildlife of an area.

Use the green initiatives in your library to create “show and tell” opportunities there, said Garvey. Educate patrons about green cleaning materials; use a mulching blade on the lawn mower; display how the number of incandescent light bulbs compares with the more energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs. Educate staff, too, so they can examine their green opportunities at home. This kind of daily emphasis can make change real. “Why did we start recycling?” Garvey asked. “Because they talked about it at school, and our kids came home and made us do it!” She suggested librarians bring teens in and work on the curriculum with them.

The key, of course, is to prioritize green. Group 4’s Schnee reinforced the idea of starting as early as possible and examining integrated design between the landscape and the building. And, Kingsnorth suggested, play up LEED certification, as it’s a big piece of the PR pie. The panelists all acknowledged Davis Langdon for insight into cost estimating. (His “Cost of Green Revisited” is among the many resources compiled for DI West participants.)

Garvey reminded the audience to think of libraries as naturally part of the solution to the problem of global warming. “Libraries are inherently green and always have been,” she said. “We buy something and thousands of people use it.”

Her words echoed in the remarks of luncheon speaker Jared Blumenfeld, director, San Francisco Department of the Environment. “We need to show people how green libraries are already,” he said. But he took it another step and declared that libraries can be, indeed already are at the center of the answer to the problem of climate change. “For me, the tag line is, 'Libraries are the solution,’” he said, referring to the options provided by the green buildings themselves and the answers people find in them when they get the information they need.

Blumenfeld knows about solutions. “San Francisco has a large appetite for greenness,” he said. “If we can’t attain sustainability, no one else can.” The city’s approach is aggressive. It has a citywide goal that all new building projects and major renovations, both residential and commercial, try to get LEED Gold certification by 2012. It also has a goal for zero landfill waste, which 150 cities in the world now do, he said. Also, the city turns 350 tons of food scraps into compost every day.

Transportation is still a big problem, he added; some 50 percent of greenhouse emissions come from vehicles, and smarter cars are only going to help some. “Ultimately,” Blumenfeld said, “we have to get people out of their cars—walking, biking, taking buses....” Such an effort could be supported by simple but key city programs such as an “emergency ride home,” which would provide public transit patrons a free cab ride in the case of a family emergency.

That provocative thinking continued in the afternoon panel, moderated by SFPL’s deputy city librarian Jill Bourne, on the pros and cons of LEED certification. David Ross, of BSA Architects, set the tone by declaring that “LEED is a confirmation of intent.” Dennis Humphries, of Humphries Poli Architects, agreed. “With LEED,” he said, “you really do get the building that functions as the designers intended.”

The certification process, however, also has its gaps. For instance, pointed out Humphries, LEED should offer more credit for the reuse of an existing building. Ross noted that it should do more to encourage the design of buildings with a smaller footprint. “I hear of 10,000 square foot houses that are LEED certified, and I scoff,” he said.

How to go green is a very local choice, the panelists agreed. Denver has 300 days of sun, Seattle 135, Humphries noted. That fact alone will influence which sustainable options make sense. But the choice to go LEED or not should be made early. If that’s not possible, said Ross, but you think there’s even a chance you might want to pursue LEED, do the initial work toward certification, which should help minimize costs.

But whatever the project, all agreed that, as King County Library System’s Kay Johnson said, “commissioning is critical, whether you go LEED or not.” This process of testing and fine tuning the building’s features so they perform is part of LEED certification, but it should be done on any building project, stressed Ross, despite any extra cost. According to PSA-Dewberry’s Tim Kraft, 3-D representations of the building in the design process help show how a building will work.

LEED itself ultimately came out smelling like a well-composted rose. “If the LEED process is what it takes to challenge people to do what needs to be done,” Ross said, “then it’s doing its job.” Sustainable design is no longer the question for anyone, even those not from California. “The bottom line is that we have to do it because we have to do it,” Humphries said. Noting that projects have been historically counted in cost per square foot, he added, “It’s the BTUs per square foot that we must be aware of in the future.”

WEB EXCLUSIVE For video interviews with DI West participants and resources from the day’s programming, go to www.libraryjournal.com/DIwest

The problem Shrink a 62,381 square foot library into 36,000 square feet—owing to the reconsideration of funding and operational costs—and keep the program elements from the first schematic plan. Other issues to confront: the small site requires the building to be multiple stories, the new facility will share a lobby, public restroom, and meeting rooms with a senior center, and green solutions should be a priority when possible.

The architect Group 4 Architecture, Research +Planning, Inc.

The brainstorm Look to the future of the community. Reorient the entry to the northeast, toward a developing community hub with light rail and retail, and then “mash up” the library and the senior center programs with a shared central service with cross-trained staffers (which also keeps operating costs down). Use the outside to enlarge the sense of the hub with an expanded green area (accomplished by shrinking the plan from 62,000 to 40,000 square feet) for a community garden or farmers market. “The essence of the effort,” said Group 4’s Dawn Merkes, “is to create a common ground.” 

The problem An aging, 1961 county central needs to be reborn as a community library, complete with merchandising, self-check, new program spaces, and fewer service points. The 58,000 square foot space, much of it an open floor plan, also has acoustic issues. “You can hear anything!” said county librarian Gail McPartland. The main issue: “How can we make it into a warm community space?”

The architect EHDD Architects

The brainstorm Role-play. EHDD’s Andy Sohn asked each participant to pretend to be a type of user (a kid, a teen, a senior) and approach a series of schemes with that in mind. Among the schemes is an entry plaza that revolves around a central entrance. A facelift scheme opted for a new façade on the building to reinvent the sense of the place. Special spaces—“lofts”—were imagined for teens. Courtyards were incorporated into each idea. After spirited discussion, the group leaned toward the facelift, with a teen space next to a new café. 

The problem Enliven and expand a cramped library serving an independent K–12 school and make room for administration, too. Currently shoehorned into 2,393 square feet (256 of which is a meeting room), the space needs more: more light, more storage and work areas, more locations for computers, more classrooms, and more connections to the outside.Ideal to keep expansion to one level to supervise students, but a second story is an option.

The architect PSA-Dewberry

The brainstorm Make the space more playful. PSA-Dewberry’s Denelle Wrightson proposed a one-story extension off one end of the first floor. The extension’s green living roof would improve the view for administration, which would be housed upstairs away from the library action. That green roof could be an educational tool, as well. Solar tube skylights could draw light down into the space, and the connection to the outside could be reinforced with an exterior reading spot. To improve functionality inside, options came up to use flooring textures or movable glass walls to create separation among areas and lounge chairs on casters for easy space reconfiguration.

The problem Add 10,000 square feet to an existing 56,000 square foot main library, incorporating green elements as you add light to the interior and improve the current curb-repellent façade to the south, which is along a busy street. “People would say to me, 'I saw you walking into that building. What is it?’ ” related Fullerton director Maureen Gebelein. “It’s a library—a library!” she’d respond. “You can come!”

The architect BSA Architects

The brainstorm Animate the building. BSA’s David Ross deputized the entire team at his breakout session, giving everyone scissors and visual models to consider daylighting strategies. The focus on light naturally opened up the building to the south—and helped with branding. One idea: notch the southern exterior with windows and reading nooks. Another: create a focal point on the corner to identify the building as a library. More daylight could be gathered via a lightwell in the ceiling or rotunda in the center.

The problem Build the first LEED-certified building in a remote Wyoming county, some 40 miles from the main library in Jackson Hole, beyond a 10,000 foot mountain. The small footprint, 2400 square feet at most (owing to zoning issues), must accommodate a meeting room, and weather considerations drive choices.

The architect Humphries Poli Architects

The brainstorm Think modular, placed for growth. Coping with the remote locale brought architect Dennis Humphries to propose a modular solution. The components, built in a factory and placed whole on the site, could comprise local materials and be the beginning of a net-zero energy plan for the building. The site, adjacent to a church, could be used to share parking. To take advantage of the view, Humphries proposed large windows facing the mountains for the reading area and a placement on the 1.5-acre plot that would allow new modular components to be added without compromising those views. Other wild ideas: construct a firepit outside for programming during cold times and large porches to use as reading spaces in good weather. “I really appreciate bringing the outside in,” said library facilities manager Dail Barbour. “We get cabin fever!”

The problem Connection needed. Take a 1970s concrete-modern undergrad library and tie it into its natural surroundings, most specifically by reclaiming vast unused terraces for solitary and group study and socializing. Now early in the planning stages for a programmatic and physical renovation of the Moffitt Library, undergraduate librarian Kathleen Gallagher stated her dreams in a big picture way: “We want a vibrant, intellectual commons for serendipitous encounter between students and faculty.”

The architect Pfeiffer Partners Architects, Inc.

The brainstorm Focus on rebranding. The idea—to establish the library as a hub for undergrads—drove the thinking. The goal: to give them a sense that, in Gallagher’s words, “they belong and they blend, but they stand on their own.” A number of colorful solutions were proposed by Pfeiffer’s Stephanie Kingsnorth and Gili Meerovitch, all focusing on highlighting and enclosing the terraces with either fabric or wood for additional learning space. This would accentuate the bands of the building and enhance a sense of identity, while movable or sliding doors could be used as entrances to the terraces for security.