As plans for the new library continue, Colorado College Office of Sustainability and other invested parties continue to campaign for a carbon neutral plan.
Ian Johnson, Campus Sustainability Manager, and Mark Ferguson, Colorado College Energy Manager, recently presented their thoughts on why a carbon neutral library is both practical and possible.
Additionally, the project manager for the library renovation is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified.
The library has already gone through three phases of design. From Jan. 27 through 29, the team will present to college leadership and the campus about interior schemes, and the rest of the spring will be dedicated to presentation of furniture, fixtures, and equipment.
Efficient practices for the new library are particularly important because of the scale at which the building will be using energy.
“There is going to be a pretty big energy load,” said Stephanie Kingsnorth, the project manager, at a recent presentation. “Due to the design of the CC Block Plan, there are also extended hours that energy will be needed for the library.”
Currently, the Tutt library uses six percent of the campus’ energy.
Ferguson laid out his plan for a carbon neutral library, which involves energy conservation and efficiency, increased use of renewable energy, combined heat and power, and carbon offsets.
Johnson also presented his take on a comprehensive sustainability plan. “The fist phase of the energy plan is conservation and efficiency, then increased use of renewable energy, combined heat and power, and finally carbon offsets,” he said.
“The biggest bang for our buck is reduce how much were using,” said Johnson. “After that, it comes to lifestyle changes and smart design.”
The new plan for the library utilizes a system called cogeneration, which is combined heat and power.
This system involves a large generator that creates enough energy to power the entire building.
By using solar panels that will be installed on the roof and other sustainable energy sources, the library will generate 100 percent of its own energy and send energy to the grid. Thus the library will have net zero carbon emissions and will offset the coal power that usually generates energy.
The library project has been contracted to Pfeiffer Partners, an architecture firm with offices in Los Angeles and New York. The firm works with national and international clients on educational buildings, art installations, and a variety of other projects.
In addition to Colorado College, Pfeiffer Partners has built buildings at Seattle University, and University of Notre Dame.
Plans for a carbon neutral library were catalyzed by the Campus Sustainability Council’s mobilization around the issue. The Office of Sustainability in Collaboration with the CSC wrote a resolution to the Board of Trustees urging that the library be carbon neutral, especially if campus-wide carbon neutrality by 2020 is to be reached.
After the Spencer Center was built utilizing several sustainability building principles, the OoS and CSC hope that buildings will be built with carbon neutrality in mind from now on.
Anna Kelly
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