Durango Public Library “LEEDING” the way for sustainability

DURANGO, Colo. – Sherry Taber had always planned for the new Durango Public Library to be “sustainable,” but this library director hadn’t imagined going for the “gold.”

Indeed, in a time of tight budgets and limited funding, committing the dollars to obtain a Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification didn’t seem initially feasible. But community members persisted and the City, Taber and her staff willingly acquiesced, taking the necessary steps that resulted in the first library in the state of Colorado to achieve a Gold LEED ranking. The building is also setting the standard for future municipal buildings in the City of Durango.

“It makes you realize how all these things integrate and make a difference,” said Taber of the LEED certification system that measures how well a building or community performs across a variety of  sustainability metrics: energy savings, water efficiency, CO₂ emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. “We use energy efficient light bulbs at home, but beyond that my thinking hadn’t pushed very far… There were the political tensions that went along with it, and what we were going to give up in the way of library amenities to do this, but that quickly went away. Everybody got on board with the LEED.”

At first blush, the Durango Public Library doesn’t necessarily “look” any different than any other library or municipal building. Its nearly 43,000 square feet of space is highly functional – actually flexible, to prepare for future changes in technology – and a veritable art gallery is taking shape throughout the building and grounds. Plus library users (which have increased dramatically since the facility opened in December 2008) are “comfortable.” “Comfortable” is a relative term and these patrons may not know why they’re comfortable, but it’s all a part of LEED.

“The first thing people might notice, if they start with the exterior, are the sunshades, those aluminum shades,” said Taber. “They control the amount of sunlight, so you get the good sunlight in the morning when you want it, and you don’t get as much of the hot sun later in the day.”

Interior shades in both the public and staff areas, can be self adjusted as desired on the multitude of windows, included to capitalize on the natural light and reduce energy costs. The actual electric light system responds to the daylight, dimming or brightening as needed based on computerized sensors and controls.

“That was one of the big features our design team worked on,” said Taber of the light system. “But also, each of the individual study carrels has its own task lighting, so if these (overhead) lights suddenly dim, people can control their own. Usually if they are near a window, they never notice the (general) lights dimming.”

Energy efficient light bulbs are used throughout the facility. And to support renewable power, the library is one of two municipal buildings (the second being the soon-to-open, LEED-certified Transit Center) for which the City of Durango continues to pay a premium to purchase of Green Power, or electricity from a renewable resource, through La Plata Electric Association

Taber credits Okland Construction for making the “theoretical” green ideas a practical reality. Through the process, the various facets became challenges to which the construction team rose, and by the end, several team members had become so enthused, they stepped up to become LEED certified builders.

One hidden construction effort is the raised floor, which enabled the installation of a highly efficient ventilation system. Heat is generated from the floor rather than blowing down on patrons from upper walls or ceilings, plus fresh air is continually mixed with the whole air control system.

“The other thing that that let us do was put our electrical under the floor, so we don’t have to do a whole new ceiling every time we want to change technology,” said Taber, explaining that underneath the carpet squares are cement squares, both of which can be “popped out” revealing the 18” sub-space beneath. “We have more flexibility for the long run.”

The air conditioning and ventilation systems continue to be monitored, as do all the energy efficiencies in the building, but preliminary estimates are that the library would save $220,000 in energy (40 percent) over a 20-year period – and Taber expects that savings will go up, given the impacts on energy costs with the proposed Cap and Trade.

“One of the main areas where we earned a lot of (LEED) points was the whole category called sustainable site,” said Taber, noting that the city had “reused” Mercy Medical Center’s site and not impacted raw land. “And with this location, we have multiple transportation modes.”

Though the library has an ample parking lot, shared with an existing building to minimize the need for new parking, the multi-modal transportation includes easy access to Durango Transit for bus ridership, and the location on the Animas River Trail for walkers and cyclists, as well as wheelchairs and strollers. Even through the winter months, the bike racks were full.

Two days after the library’s opening, Durango Herald reporter John Peel wrote in a review of the new facility, “It still has that new-car smell, whether it’s wood from the desks or carpet in the elevator.”

In actuality, Peel was likely noting an absence of aromas. The “new-car smell” is a result of off-gassing or the evaporation of volatile chemicals in materials such as paints, stains, carpet and more. The Durango Public Library should have had none of that as low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint, carpets, adhesives and sealants were used, and the building underwent a “flush” before it was occupied.

“They push huge volumes of air through the under floor system… to flush out anything that might be residual,” said Taber. “I think it paid off and was 99 percent successful. I have one staff person who is very sensitive (to fumes) and I haven’t heard anything from her. It’s important because people can be comfortable (in the library) from day one.”

A final LEED effort occurred with water efficiency – both indoors and out. Working with landscape architects DHM Design and contractor Azteca, the site is landscaped with indigenous plans, plus best practices have been used in storm water management.

“On the side there’s sort of a bowl,” explained Tabor. “All the runoff from the parking lot filters in, works through that bowl, so by the time the water gets ready to go back in the river, it’s clean. This project is making sure the water we turn back in, not just from the building, but from the parking lot, is clean.”

Low flow fixtures within the building limit water consumption, including the use of dual flush toilets.

“The things you worked hard and planned for, and to see them actually working, there’s a real sense of accomplishment,” said Taber. “We didn’t just do this to get a Gold medal. We did it because we wanted to save energy and money, and for it to be a comfortable environment. I know it’s going to save us (money), but more importantly I think it’s made us all more conscious of what we’re doing.”

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