From the USGBC website (
visit link) :
Location: Fayetteville, AR
Building type(s): Library
New construction
88,800 ft2 (8,250 m2)
Project scope: 3-story building
Urban setting
Completed September 2004
Rating: U.S. Green Building Council LEED-NC, v.2/v.2.1--Level: Silver (34 Points)
Founded in 1916, the Fayetteville Public Library has long served the town of Fayetteville, the county seat and home to the University of Arkansas. The design for its new home, the first building in Arkansas to be registered and third to be certified through the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Rating System, developed through a series of more than 40 public meetings that resulted in a shared vision of library design and sustainable public architecture.
Leading the way for green buildings in the state, the building was also located on a site that countered the prevailing wisdom that would have it located in the suburbs, where growth was occurring. The downtown site provides convenience for library patrons and employees and an opportunity to encourage connections between the patrons, the community, and the landscape.
Environmental Aspects
The LEED-Silver library introduced the state of Arkansas to green building, which meant that the project team had to work with both state and local officials to allow some innovative building practices to go forward. Among these were a green roof, waterless urinals, underground cisterns, a construction waste recycling program, daylighting in reading rooms, and material harvesting from the site for reuse in the building.
Although the building uses several modern building practices, its design reflects the historic fabric of the town center. An undulating roof above the clerestory windows of the main reading room and the central hall of the second floor recalls the natural forms of the mountain ranges to the south. Visitors are presented with views to the natural world to consider and reflect upon during their visit, reinforcing the goal of creating a new relationship with the land.
Owner & Occupancy
Owned and occupied by City of Fayetteville, Local government
Typically occupied by 60 people, 60 hours per person per week; and 10,870 visitors per week, 2 hours per visitor per week
Approximately 1,000 patrons visit the library each day. The occupancy figures reflect calculations of full-time equivalents for LEED requirements.
Building Programs
Indoor Spaces:
Structured parking (35%), Other (29%), Office (3%), Public assembly (2%), Restrooms (1%)
Outdoor Spaces:
Garden—decorative (8%), Interpretive landscape (6%), Shade structures/outdoor rooms (4%), Patio/hardscape (4%), Parking (4%), Pedestrian/non-motorized vehicle path (4%)