Stronger, together
In another boost for Christchurch, New Zealand's first joint-use urban community and school library is taking shape in Upper Riccarton. The 1600sq m building, on Main South Road, is the result of a partnership between Christchurch City Libraries and Riccarton High School. The result will be a modern, environmentally-friendly space which both the community and the school will use for leisure and learning.
Due to open early next year, the library draws on similar joint-use buildings which have been a big success in Australia and elsewhere. It also takes its lead from the Council's successes with its South Christchurch, Parklands and New Brighton libraries, all of which provide a community facility rather than simply a library.
"By working with Riccarton High School and sharing costs and resources with them, we're able to provide the community with better facilities at a lower cost, rather than building or maintaining two distinct facilities," says the Council's Community Libraries' Manager, Nicki Moen.
The new building will offer indoor and outdoor reading areas, its own café, a children's library and comprehensive multimedia and research tools. Three learning suites will be used by the school during the day, and will be available as a community learning centre outside school hours. The building will be highly glazed, featuring an exterior of natural timber, white concrete cladding and white metal louvres.
Architects Warren and Mahoney have worked to make the building's budget as environmentally sustainable as possible. The design features a floor which stores solar heat in winter and helps regulate temperature throughout the year, double-glazing and insulation, energy-efficient and cost-effective heat pumps, and underfloor heating and cooling pipes.
The building will respond to changes in the weather. Motorised windows will create ventilation, opening and shutting according to air temperature and time of day, while motorised louvres will create shade in summer and draw in sunlight in winter. It will mean doors can be left open in summer onto outdoor reading and cafe areas.
The timber used in construction comes from sustainable sources, and the building's planners have also considered the sustainability and recycled content in choosing carpets, recycled ceiling tiles, woollen acoustic insulation and low-emission paints.
Warren and Mahoney's Richard McGowan says the sustainable approach saves money as well as reducing the environmental impact. "It'll use much less power, so will be much cheaper to run. We've used low- energy lighting fixtures and daylight sensors to reduce energy use and cost, while low-water plumbing fixtures and efficient rainwater collection for toilet flushing will keep water use to a minimum."
When the planners first asked Riccarton High School students and local people what they wanted, ideas included internet and PC access, lots of new books and magazines, a café, big open spaces, bean bags, CDs and DVDs, the ability to listen to music, comfy couches and chairs, banks of windows, youth and kids areas, meeting spaces, games and CD-ROMS, workshops, late night and weekend opening. All of these requests will be satisfied, along with many more, when Upper Riccarton library opens.
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