Encinitas City Library and Civc Center

The new Encinitas City Library opened in late 2007 and is now a very popular place in Downtown Encinitas. Designed by Manual Ocina Architects, this building takes full advantage of its location on top of a hill by including it's ocean views into it's 'shell' design concept.

Sustainability points:

- uses natural light throughout the day instead of artificial.

- parking lot has bio-swails to filter run off

- outside spaces are warm, but have shade structures for maximum comfort.

- the shade structures block direct sunlight from entering the building

The Library may not be the most sustainable building, but it looks down onto a much bigger statement about sustainable energy:

The Encinitas City Hall is located right below the library. It used to be a strip mall and was turned into the city hall after the city incorporated in 1989 and decided to consolidate all the city offices into one area. while not as beautiful as the Library above it, the city has recently undergone a retrofitting of the roof so the city hall generates its own electricity.

In an effort to improve the view from the library, the city went to PE Consulting to explore the various options they had. The city realized that not only could they improve the view of the roof from the library, but they could also improve energy efficiency. This retrofit reduces the energy costs by 78% and integrates solar photovoltaic panels, HVAC modifications, enhanced building automation and daylighting among other energy efficiency improvements into one efficient energy efficient system.

here are a few pictures of the city hall and library:

front view of the library

Curb cuts and Bioswales in the parking lot

outside shade structures for library leisure and deflecting direct light

view of the roof of the city hall

references:

Manual Ocina Architects

here is the the link to PE Consulting's description of the Encinitas City hall