New Los Angeles library 'green' model sets standard - includes solar energy

The Lake View Terrace Branch Library, 12002 Osborne St. Lake View Terrace

source: Kerry Cavanaugh LA Daily News 2003.6.26

Residents will cross the threshold Saturday of the community's first public library, touted as the most environmentally friendly building a city contractor has ever constructed.The pairing makes sense, resident and library proponent Phyllis Hines said.

The Lake View Terrace Improvement Association pleaded for a library for 20 years and finally helped pay for it with $1 million from a trust fund to offset the negative effects of the now-closed Lopez Canyon Landfill.

"We decided we'd like some of the money to go toward something positive ... something that would be a statement environmentally," Hines said. "It's been 20 years in the making, but it is surely a magnificent thing now."

The library contains 40,000 books and videotapes, computers with Internet access, a multipurpose meeting room and special areas for children and teens.

The Los Angeles Public Library's 67th branch is also a "green" statement by city officials, who spent about 25 percent more than a standard library would have cost to build a $5.5 million facility that's a model in energy and water efficiency, use of recycled materials and drought-tolerant landscaping.

"From a political perspective, it is a tremendous opportunity to make a statement: This is the most environmentally friendly building in Los Angeles," said Council President Alex Padilla, whose district includes Lake View Terrace. "This is something the rest of the city can learn from."

From the ground up, architects designed the library to handle the San Fernando Valley's scorching summer heat without cranking up the air conditioning.

Awnings and other devices reduce and filter direct afternoon sun. A cooling tower circulates air through cold water to lessen the need for air conditioning. Windows sensitive to heat and humidity open automatically to regulate interior temperature. Roof-top solar panels generate electricity, and the roof itself is designed to deflect sunlight.

As a result, the building is 40 percent more energy-efficient than a traditional library.

Inside, the walls and carpets are made from recycled materials. The floors are bamboo, which grows back faster than trees. Photo sensors automatically control lighting to lessen electricity consumption.

City officials ordered a design to get a gold certification -- the second-highest ranking available -- from the U.S. Green Building Council, which monitors and certifies projects that incorporate environmentally friendly features.

The California Integrated Waste Management Board and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy allocated $550,000 in grants to help cover the extra "green" building costs.

The Lake View Terrace library opens just before a requirement takes effect July 1 that all city-funded projects in Los Angeles larger than 7,500 square feet must meet the Green Building Council's minimum standards.

Meeting minimum certification standards can be as simple as orienting a building away from direct sunlight, planning for transit and including solar panels and water-efficient fixtures, city officials said.

"It takes some certain knowledge and, of course, it's not as easy as building a regular frame building," said Charles Ngo, the library's project manager in the Bureau of Engineering. "Even though it may be difficult, I think this is the way of the future to save the environment."

Links

CIMWB- Lake View Terrace Library