Location: 12002 Osborne Street, Los Angeles, California
Type of building: Public Facility
Size (Sq. ft.): 10,700 sq. ft.
New construction of the 68th Branch Los Angeles Public Library and Environmental Awareness Resource Center
Date of completion: July 2003
Cost: $4.3 million
Owner: City of Los Angeles
Designed By: Greenworks with Fields Deveraux Architects and Engineers
Sustainable Building Strategies
From its inception, this facility has been intended to be a demonstration project on sustainable building features. The architecture and engineering team developed design approaches and strategies that were used on subsequent City of Los Angeles projects. The LEED Green Building Rating System was used as a planning tool from the project’s inception. The library is being submitted for Platinum LEED certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) in the summer of 2004. The CIWMB provided a $250,000 direct grant for added sustainable features for this project.
Energy Efficient Systems
- A landmark passive cooling tower conditions the interior space and houses an Environmental Awareness Center.
- The building form uses light shelves, louvers, overhangs, skylights, and planning strategies to provide high-quality glare-free daylight during operating hours.
- A programmable lighting control system with photocells and motion sensors allows efficient integration of the daylighting and electric lighting design.
- Exterior insulation on CMU block wall facilitates night venting to assist with building air conditioning.
- The roof is Energy Star compliant with high emissivity and insulated beyond Title 24 requirements.
- Photovoltaic cells provide about 15 percent of the building’s estimated regulated electricity need.
- Green Power was purchased to offset 100 percent of the building’s estimated regulated electricity use for two years.
Materials and Resources
- Over 75 percent of construction waste was diverted from landfills into the recycling market.
- Recycled content building materials are used for structural elements, flooring, walls, casework panels, and tiles.
- A large portion of the materials for the library came from within 500 miles of the site.
Storm Water Management
- Landform bioswales create undulating earth forms that retain, and filter runoff at the north part of the site. All of the hardscape runoff at the parking area, driveway entrance, and interior courtyard is directed to landscaped infiltration areas that slow, retain, and filter runoff prior to this water being processed through a Baysaver filtration system.
- The Baysaver treats overflow from the landscape strategies listed as well as treating all of the roof runoff. It was designed to treat a 25-year storm occurrence. A gabion wall runs the length of the building at the south edge of the site to capture and filter incidental runoff not being treated by the other systems.
Water Conservation
- Landscaping and high efficiency irrigation systems reduce estimated site water usage by over 50 percent.
- Water fixture flow controls and efficient fixtures reduce estimated domestic water use by 30 percent above Energy Policy Act requirements.
Information Contacts
James Weiner, AIA, Vice President, Greenworks, (323) 321-5333
Craig Park, AIA, Marketing Director, Fields Devereaux Architects & Engineers, (323) 965-7444
Fontayne Holmes, Director, Library Facilities Division, (213) 228-7586 and Peter Persic, Public Relations Director, (213) 228-7555, Los Angeles Public Library
Websites
For more information contact: Office of Public Affairs, opa@calrecycle.ca.gov