A Common Question Revisited

 Hi,

   Thanks for your comment about the interior space.This continues to be one of the most popular questions at Tommy Douglas Library and I thought I’d  refer back to  the architect’s response to the question :

  Derek Newby at CEI Architects (one of the partners along with Diamond & Schmitt who designed the building) was asked  to explain this design choice.  His response follows:

“The height of the ceiling in the main room of the library was driven by a number of considerations.   Significantly, the ceiling height has to do with making the interior feel welcoming and comfortable.  The main library space is a large room, and was designed to serve a variety of roles while being very open and interconnected.  The high ceiling helps to make the size of the room feel united.  Also, given the importance of the site as it faces Kingsway, the scale of the building from the street was considered.  As an important public institution in the City, the shape and height of the building was composed to make it be commensurate with its significance.
Beyond this, the high ceiling also contributes to the daylighting of the space by allowing high-level light from the clerestory windows to penetrate across the room.  The added height also improves the ability to naturally ventilate the space – automated windows at the high level can open to allow hot air to escape, exploiting natural convective forces.”

Thanks Derek!

March 8, 2010 at 10:45 pmLeave a comment

A common question…

Staff report that the most frequently asked question about the new building is “why is it so tall when it is only one story?”  Since this is question we’ve been fielding since the first drawings of the new building were made public, we asked Derek Newby at CEI Architects (one of the partners along with Diamond & Schmitt who designed the building) to explain this design choice.  His response follows:

“The height of the ceiling in the main room of the library was driven by a number of considerations.   Significantly, the ceiling height has to do with making the interior feel welcoming and comfortable.  The main library space is a large room, and was designed to serve a variety of roles while being very open and interconnected.  The high ceiling helps to make the size of the room feel united.  Also, given the importance of the site as it faces Kingsway, the scale of the building from the street was considered.  As an important public institution in the City, the shape and height of the building was composed to make it be commensurate with its significance.
Beyond this, the high ceiling also contributes to the daylighting of the space by allowing high-level light from the clerestory windows to penetrate across the room.  The added height also improves the ability to naturally ventilate the space – automated windows at the high level can open to allow hot air to escape, exploiting natural convective forces.”

Thanks Derek!

Deb Thomas, Deputy Chief Librarian

November 18, 2009 at 8:26 pmLeave a comment

More about “green” features …

The new building is closer to being ready to open by the day. While we wait, I’ll keep you entertained with more information about the library’s sustainable features.

Below is a picture of the “green roof” portion of the new branch, planted with sedums because they are drought tolerant and require minimal maintenance. This roof helps moderate the temperature within the building, reduces stormwater discharge and provides an attractive view for the apartment dwellers next door.

Sedums on our green roof

Another consideration in the building of “sustainable” buildings is lighting, interior and exterior. After reading an interesting article in Library Journal about light pollution from public buildings and how it can affect neighbouring residences and wildlife, I contacted Derek Newby from CEI Architects again for his explanation of how lighting issues such as this had been factored into the design of the new Tommy Douglas Library. Here is his answer:

Lighting public buildings is a difficult task – the designers seek to ensure safety around the building and a welcoming appearance, but are careful not to over-light or direct light where is not needed, to save energy. Beyond that, the designers are considerate of the need to preserve the darkness of the night sky whenever possible. Light that shines beyond a building’s site or into the night sky is wasted energy, and can be annoying to neighbors and detrimental to nocturnal species. The lighting design at the Tommy Douglas Library has been developed to be considerate to its neighbors, and inviting to patrons. The lighting helps make the library safe at night by providing good visibility and clear paths to follow around the building. Although there is a lot of glass in the building, lights have been positioned and selected so that no direct-beam illumination leaves the site. The canopies and sun shades that you see around the building help to preserve the night sky and bounce light down to the ground where it is required. The Library will appear warm and bright from the street, but will not waste energy by sending light where it is not needed. We hope patrons will find the library welcoming and delightful, particularly after dark. The transparency of the building, combined with the fields of coloured glass, will make for a lively and pleasant addition to Kingsway, and the neighborhood.

Derek N. Newby, Dip. Plan., BA, M.Arch., OAA, MRAIC, LEED A.P. CEI Architecture Interiors Planning

October 27, 2009 at 12:25 am2 comments

Cooling of the new building

Recently a comment was made on several posts – “I didn’t see any reference to cooling the interior of the building during HOT weather. When it is 25 to 35 and humid outside what will keep the building cool and dryer inside? Just opening a window will not cool the space inside to a comfortable working temp.” I thought this was a sufficiently interesting question that I asked Derek Newby from CEI Architects to respond in a new post. Here is his reply:

The Library is not ‘air conditioned’ – there is no artificial (refrigerant-based) cooling system. It does however feature other strategies to address occupant comfort. This is typical of ‘green buildings’. There are a few reasons for this choice, and some strategies employed to address the comfort of the users. Since our climate is moderate, the periods of extreme weather that would be made more comfortable with air conditioning are relatively short. The capital cost of air conditioning equipment is large, and is difficult to justify considering the limited use throughout the year. Beyond that, the operating costs and energy expenditure for air conditioning are significant. Low energy buildings such as the library rely largely on passive measures to aid cooling. Very efficient active systems are also selectively used to augment the performance of the passive measures.

The passive measures that will aid in keeping the building cool during warm weather are integral to the form of the building. First, windows are extensively shaded from the outside to dramatically reduce the solar energy that passes into the building that causes heating. Second, the building’s structure is largely concrete, and is often exposed. The concrete acts to ‘store’ thermal energy, acting as a buffer to the rise in temperature throughout the day. Third, the roof surface is a combination of a highly reflective coating and a ‘green’ vegetated roof. The reflective roof rejects the solar energy from the sun, while the green roof, with its soil and planting, acts as a insulator to the interior. Fourth, there are windows that open throughout the building. In addition to the low level windows, a number of windows at the top of the building can be electrically opened. The height of the library, combined with the low and high windows, will act to create a stack effect, inducing a natural air flow in the library. Moving air is shown to aid in improving comfort during hot weather. Non of these passive measures use energy.

The active measures that will contribute to cooling involve using the building’s systems. The ventilation system may be operated not only to supply fresh air, but to induce airflow through the building. Ventilation air is supplied at the floor level in the library, allowing the air to pass through the layer of the building where people are (as opposed to overhead air delivery). While this air is not directly cooled, it does travel through the concrete floor of the library, which will be cooler than the outside air, reducing its temperature before it enters the library. The ventilation system may be operated during the night when outdoor temperatures are relatively cool, acting to cool the concrete structure while flushing warm air from the building.

Further, a geoexchange system is employed by the library, primarily for heating during the winter. However, the system can be adapted to be used in reverse should it be necessary. A number of underground wells surround the library, allowing the system to harvest the thermal energy in the soil. The soil remains a constant temperature year-round, and can be used to cool a fluid that is then used to cool the concrete floor slabs in the building.

Lastly, green buildings attempt not only to reduce energy consumption, but to ensure a relationship between the environment and the building. A greater range of comfort conditions are expected in the Library compared to buildings that are intended to maintain a steady-state.

Derek N. Newby,Dip. Plan., BA, M.Arch., OAA, MRAIC, LEED A.P.
CEI Architecture Interiors Planning

I admit to being skeptical at first when I read this,

having suffered through a few 30 degree plus days at the old branch – but I am told that the Semiahmoo Branch of Surrey Public Library – one of the first LEED certifiied libraries in BC – uses this method of cooling and it works very well. Think of the energy savings!

Deb Thomas, Deputy Chief Librarian

October 6, 2009 at 5:05 pmLeave a comment

The very green library

As mentioned in an earlier post on October 23, the new Edmonds library will aiming to achieve LEEDS silver certification (see that post for more information) when it is complete.  I talked to planner and architect Derek Newby of CEI Architects (partners with Diamond and Schmitt on the project) recently about these green features and this is what he shared with me:

Lighting – The building is substantially day lit, and when artificial light is required, daylight sensors and automatic dimming controls ensure appropriate light levels with minimum energy
use.  To address the quality of light, extensive shading is deployed on the south, east, and west
facades, reducing direct light while allowing diffuse light.  In office areas, light shelves are fitted
to drive light deeper into the plan, and bottom-up shades are provided to address privacy and
glare issues without excluding all daylight.

Heating – Thermal comfort is achieved by use of radiant heating in the concrete floor slab.  To provide the thermal energy to this system, a ground source exchange system of twenty-one two-hundred and twenty-five foot deep wells are provided on the site.  Using heat exchangers and pumps, thermal energy is drawn from the earth around the wells, and used to supply fluid to the pipe located in the slab.  As a result, there is no natural gas connection to the building.

Ventilation – A displacement ventilation system is employed, complemented by the radiant heating system cast in the floor slab.  Ventilation functions are independent from heating, increasing efficiency while providing greater control to the occupants.  Heat recovery is undertaken on return air before it is discharged, to draw out remaining heat to warm the fresh air that is drawn into the building.  During fair weather, natural ventilation is accommodated with both manual and automated operable windows.

Air quality – Interior finishes were selected that exhibit little or no off-gassing.  Effectively eliminating sources of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) will result in improved indoor air quality, and will benefit the health of occupants.  FSC-Certified wood is planned for millwork and interior finishes.  Certified wood is responsibly harvested and processed, and its production is verified by a third party.

Exterior construction materials – Composing the structure of the building in concrete was a deliberate decision, both for structural reasons, as well as durability, comfort, and energy efficiency.   The concrete for the building exhibits 30-40% cement replacement with supplemental cementing materials (flyash).   The production of cement is energy intensive and results in substantial carbon dioxide emissions.  Replacing cement with flyash, a waste product, has the dual benefit of lowering CO2 emissions while making use of a waste material.  The massive walls and floor are generally exposed to allow the concrete to act as a thermal regulator, absorbing and releasing heat energy to moderate the daily variation in temperature.

Saving water – Responsible use of water was important to the conception of the design.  Roof water is captured and collected in an underground cistern, where it is stored for later use as the sole source of the site landscape irrigation system.  The water feature on the south face of the building uses only recycled water.  Inside, potable water is conserved by use of low-flow fixtures.

Green roof – The roof on the low portion of the building is ‘green’ – planted with a mix of sedums, a plant variety that is hearty in our climate that requires little maintenance.  The green roof aids in reducing Stormwater discharge, and helps cool the building.

If this topic interests you, you may want to check out other green libraries in the area – the City of North Vancouver Library (http://www.cnv.org//server.aspx?c=3&i=552) is one example.

Please feel free to ask questions on the blog about this or other topics!
Deb Thomas, Deputy Chief, Burnaby Public Library

November 15, 2008 at 1:49 am6 comments

The Green Library

Site signs including LEED sign

The City of Burnaby will be applying for LEED Silver certification (seehttp://www.cagbc.org/leed/what/index.php) for the new branch in Edmonds Town Centre. We are committed to a creating a sustainable building that is healthy for those who use it and those who work in it.  

Some of the “green” features of the new branch are:

• use of natural light through the many large windows
• geothermal energy to heat and cool (http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/geothermal.html)
• a green roof (http://www.toronto.ca/greenroofs/what.htm)
• low-emission building materials

I’ll be including more details in this blog as construction continues!

Deb Thomas, Kingsway Branch Manager

October 23, 2008 at 5:52 pmLeave a comment