Green Building Facts

The Reserve Desk was moved from the first floor, where Mom's Cafe is now located, to the second floor. Included in this relocation was the beautiful cherry wood facade and window from the original Reserve Desk. Other areas where the existing wood was preserved include the cherry wood in the hallways connecting the 1968 building to the 1996 building, and the Katherine W. Dumke Fine Arts & Architecture Library.

The cherry wood seen in the west entrance of the library, at the Reserve Desk, and in the Katherine W. Dumke Fine Arts & Architecture Library, was restored and preserved as part of the library's renovation.

In fall of 2012 the Marriott Library installed Dyson Airblade hand dryers in the majority of its public restrooms. These hand dryers dry hands in 12 seconds and have a HEPA filter that removes 99.97% of bacteria from air used to dry hands. These hand dryers produce no paper waste and generates the lowest carbon emissions over paper towels and any other hand dryer.

Energy efficient light fixtures and low watt bulbs replaced the existing lighting. All incandescent lighting has been eliminated. The lights in the 1986 building are now computer controlled. Light dimmers and photo-eye lights (motion sensors) have been installed.

Windows on the third to fifth floors are made with frit glass, an energy efficient feature, that when used in conjunction with shades, protects against heat gain and loss. The frit glass windows replaced the 80 two-ton aggregate panels comprising the outer walls of the 1968 building. Another advantage of the frit glass is that unlike clear glass, birds can see it and therefore will not fly into the windows and injure themselves. In addition, windows were installed in the northwest corridors connecting the 1968 building to the 1996 building to bring natural light into this persistently dark area.

Library staff worked closely with University Surplus and Salvage to coordinate the transfer of furniture into and out of the library. This included excess tables, bookcases, study carrels, chairs, and other items no longer needed by the library. It also included receiving the furniture found in conference room 1726a. Map cases were accepted from the Department of Mining Engineering when their old building was demolished. Library office furniture in good condition was repurposed for use on both the third and fifth floors.

The 250 Aeron chairs used in the Knowledge Commons and staff areas are made from 66% recycled materials.  These award-winning chairs, designed by Don Chadwick and Bill Stumpf in 1994, are on exhibit in the design collection of New York City's Museum of Modern Art.

The entire library was carpeted with carpet squares to allow for replacement of individual squares when needed. Raised flooring in several technology-intensive areas will allow for reconfiguration of data and electrical wiring without requiring new materials (conduits, boxes, wiring, etc.).

Low-flush toilets were installed during renovation to reduce the total amount of water used in the building.

All materials, (paint, walls, etc) used for the renovation at Mariott are low gas-emitting products. Furniture in public areas is Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certified, which means it meets standards related to off gassing. The formaldehyde-free fiberboard used in the ARC bins are also Certified. 

The library's renovated loading dock includes an area built to handle an aggressive recycling program that serves approximately 300 library staff and thousands of library patrons, who collectively visit the library over a million and a half times annually. The library recycles paper, cardboard, aluminum, and plastics #1-2 through the University's recycling program. The Library also recycles Styrofoam, computer diskettes, and batteries. Recycling bins are located in all staff and public areas throughout the building. Batteries can be dropped off for proper disposal and recycling at the CMS desk located in the Knowledge Commons on level 2.

Walls in the public area of the original 1968 building were comprised of travertine, a natural stone, which was also used in the building of the Roman Coliseum. The travertine was not removed and discarded as part of the renovation. In fact, it was preserved and reused throughout the public areas of the building. The artwork by Paul Housberg on the wall of the grand staircase incorporates travertine. This artwork hides the system for venting smoke out of the library during a fire. The art is titled "Another Beautiful Day Has Dawned Upon Us." It is 50 feet high and 13 feet wide.

A roof top garden was installed above the library's three-and-a-half story Automated Retrieval Center (ARC) to protect the structure and to increase the energy efficiency of the building. To reduce the amount of water needed for the garden, the University grounds crew planted drought-resistant plants and installed a programmable subterranean watering system. The library is proposing to build a pergola to provide shade for the garden. If the opportunity arises, this pergola, fitted with solar-panels, could also provide the energy required to run the ARC.

Click on the image below to take a virtual tour of our gardens.