SETTING THE NEW SOUTHWEST NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY UP FOR SUSTAINABILITY & COMMUNITY SUCCESS.
PROJECT NAME.
Southwest Neighborhood Library
CUSTOMER.
DB Public Library / Turner Construction Company
MARKET SECTOR.
Cultural Arts & Entertainment
SERVICES.
Design-Build
Design & Engineering
Energy Engineering – Power Output Studies
Virtual Design & Construction (BIM Modeling)
MEP Construction
THE CHALLENGE.
The Southwest Neighborhood Library scope included the demolition of the existing 21,500 square foot library built in the mid-1960s and construction of a new, state-of-the-art, high performance, 20,000 square foot library on the same property.
The project was to be designed to maximize site responsiveness, energy and water conservation strategies, and include both passive and active systems to support the project’s sustainability goals. The project was also required to meet USGBC LEED Gold Certification and the Owner requested that the new library was designed in a way that it could become a hub to support the community during emergencies such as power outages.
THE SOLUTION.
Acting as the MEP Contractor and Engineer of Record, our team worked collaboratively with the building owner and construction partners to help this library achieve the LEED Platinum certificate from the U.S. Green Building Council for energy efficiency and environmentally sustainable design.
To best serve the community and meet the project’s sustainability goals, our electrical design provided emergency power for supplemental lighting, cell phone charging, and minimal refrigeration, without the use of a traditional emergency generator. Our team was also able to make adjustments to the MEP Systems to provide additional space for a battery backup UPS system that would provide the additional power.
To help pay for the necessary sustainability features, our team designed and managed Columbia Solar’s installation of a 135KW roof-mounted photovoltaic system. The team was crucial in DCPL being able to obtain a Department of Energy and Environment Grant to fund the system’s installation.
This project was recently awarded ENR’s Excellence in Sustainability Award!