Contract - March 2011 - (Page 43)

Standing out like a beacon on the rolling farmland, the Valley Hi-North Laguna Libra (opposite top) resembles an open book. Circulation is situated along the roof spine (below) making for an open, easy-to-read interior. No modern libra would be complete without a café (above); Valley Hi-North Laguna’s is ve popular. Libraries do more than hold books. They are a place to nurture minds young and old with education and entertainment. They oﬀer spots for meeting, opportunity, and growth. The best of them democratically deﬁne a community by providing something for eve one. The new Valley Hi-North Laguna libra in Sacramento does that and much more, thanks to a cost-eﬀective, green design by Noll + Tam Architects. The new libra replaces a smaller storefront branch to service Sacramento’s rapidly growing suburban south side. “It’s a low-income, low-educational achievement community,” says Lois Casement Ross, libra project manager, Sacramento Public Libra . With 35 percent of the population under the age of 18, a children and teen area was extremely important. Twenty percent of the population is English language learners, and 26 percent don’t have a high school diploma. “These statistics colored many of our choices, especially in what materials and media we would stock,” says Ross. The biggest inﬂuence in the structure’s design, however, was Sacramento’s commitment to green building. The city demands that all public buildings meet a minimum of LEED Silver. The libra goes above and beyond that, achieving a LEED Gold rating and exceeding California Energy Code Title 24 by 34 percent. Noll + Tam employed several techniques to achieve these impressive numbers. First, the designers strategically oriented the building with long facades facing due north and due south to optimize daylight while shielding the windows from direct sun. The tiled roof is angled ideally for photovoltaics. Solar laminates eventually will be attached, creating a visually unobtrusive, cost-eﬀective solution that will provide an estimated 12 percent of the building’s energy. The design team reduced energy consumption further by incorporating insulation into the building’s concrete tilt-up slabs to preserve interior heat. The application is so new that no computer models exist to calculate the thermal beneﬁts, but the team won an incentive grant from the local utility to commission modeling analyses, proving the method’s high thermal capabilities. The thermal mass feature is enhanced by the addition of a mixed-mode displacement ventilation system that allows natural air to cool the building at night. The libra is more than just eﬃcient. It stands as a welcoming beacon in what was once empty farmland. “We wanted to build a marker; something that would jump out of the landscape,” says Noll + Tam principal Chris Noll. The libra takes the form of an open book, with a www.contractdesign.com contract march 2011 43 http://www.contractdesign.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract - March 2011

Contract - March 2011
Contents
Editor’s Note
Industry
Resources: Design Collaborations
Focus: This Little Light of Mine
Practice: Global Consensus
Green: Thinking Inside the Box
Poetry Lessons
Community Asset
Book Light
Reel Genius
Fresh Start
A Tree Saved in Brooklyn
Designers Rate: Guest Seating
Sources
Ad Index
Perspectives

Contract - March 2011