Project Description
The newly constructed Monte Vista Elementary School Library incorporates the existing mid-century modern architecture of the campus with sustainable design.
Sustainable Design Elements
• Building Orientated to Maximize Daylighting
• Overhangs on Southern Windows
• Glazing on North Facing Facades, High North Facing Windows with Views to the Mountains
• Large Sloped Roof Plane Faces South for Future Solar Panels
• Operable Windows
The interior layout allows for maximum flexibility as the needs and program of the Library changes in the future. The central core of the interior is the librarian’s desk which creates a central place to check out books, ask for help and maximize the librarian’s visibility throughout the space for security and supervision purposes. Three zones of teaching, at different scales, are incorporated into the main reading room, and a separate classroom is connected via double glass doors that can open to make one larger space. In addition to new landscaped outdoor spaces, that allow students to take advantage of the favorable weather in the area, two special needs classrooms, and three staff offices are located in a smaller scale building mass on the east side of the library.