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Sustainable features featured
This week, I completed something that has been on my to-do list for over a year. One of the joys (and sometimes curses) of occupying a new, stunning, award-winning building is that every day people come in to look at the building, rather than use library services. As librarians and not architects, most of the staff do their best to answer questions, but many times we fall short.
The topic most often asked about is the “green” aspect of the building. With the help of Martin Pardoe of the RMOW, who was the project coordinator of the construction, I have put together a brochure outlining many of the sustainability features of Whistler Public Library.
Siting: the location of the library in the core of the Village was a deliberate decision, made to maximize access to the building by foot, bicycle, and public transit. Handicapped and Car Pool parking are featured.
Roof structure: the most dramatic visual element in the space is the roof, which is made up of hemlock panels. Hemlock is seldom used for structural components because it has less strength than fir. The engineers came up with an innovative system of prefabricated panels, making use of this undervalued material. A large amount of carbon is sequestered in the wood (and will remain there for the life of the building) the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and the overall environmental benefits resulting from the choice of wood is significant. The structure supports a “green” or “living” roof with a selection of Pacific Northwest grasses and plants. The green roof contributes to the environmental performance of the building in several ways, including control of surface runoff, reduction of the urban heat island effect, and the elimination of the need for snow removal and storage with associated heavy machinery use.
HVAC, etc.: a geothermal heat pump heating and cooling system delivers the supply air at floor level, instead of from the ceiling. This eliminates the need to heat all that space between head height and the roof. Low flow plumbing fixtures and high-efficiency lighting throughout the building add to the green factor, and the library has adopted an extensive Green Cleaning and recycling program.
The brochure itself has further details (plus pretty pictures), and is available in printed format at the library. I can also email you a copy if you care to save the paper. My email address is lstara@whistlerlibrary.ca.
Lauren Stara, Library Director