Santa Monica Public Library
After community input from a neighborhood survey and a series of public meetings in Fall 2008 and Spring 2011, the Santa Monica City Council designated funds to construct a single-story library in the Pico neighborhood of Santa Monica, California. Construction began in Summer of 2012, and the building was completed in June of 2014.
Challenge: The City of Santa Monica adopted the US Green Building Council’s LEED® Green Building Rating System as the basis of design for all its new construction. And since the construction site for the Pico Branch Library was in the LEED Silver-rated Virginia Avenue Park, the new building had to at least meet silver status, if not exceed it.
Achieving LEED certification is no easy matter. It requires things such as sourcing sustainable construction materials, maximizing water efficiency, responsible site planning, and innovative energy management just to name a few. Plans for the finished building included a number of green design features to help get LEED certification. Construction materials, however, still needed to meet LEED guidelines for certification.
Solution: Among the construction materials specified for the project Roseburg Forest Products’ FSC® Certified NAUF plywood was included in a sheathing application. Roseburg’s FSC Certified plywood was among the 70% FSC Certified Wood utilized to achieve points for Materials and Resources credit 7. In addition, Roseburg’s NAUF plywood contributed to indoor Environmental Quality as part of the ceiling and wall systems installed inside the building’s waterproofing system.
Results: Once construction was completed, the Pico Branch Library building earned LEED Platinum status, and was named “Santa Monica’s Greenest Building.”
All Inspirations