UCSB Library’s buildings have been awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2016 upon completion of a major addition and renovation project. Certification details are available on our LEED scorecard. A summary of the Library's current green features can be found below.
Recycled and Regional Materials
Fifteen percent of the materials in this building are made from recycled content, including flooring, service desks, acoustical ceiling and bathroom tiles, and window frames. Eleven percent of the building’s materials are regional, such as the concrete and asphalt paving.
Reflective Roof and Ground
The roof of this building and paving around it are made with light-colored materials that reflect the sun, mitigating the “heat island effect” — an urban phenomenon in which the temperature is up to 10 degrees higher than in areas surrounded by vegetation. Avoiding heat islands creates less demand for energy, lowers air-conditioning costs, and cuts air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Saving Water
To lower water use drought-tolerant landscaping has been planted around the building, including Canary Island and kentia palms, bougainvillea, deodar cedar, Indian hawthorn, star jasmine, mondo grass, and strawberry trees. Wastewater around the area is pumped to the Goleta Sanitary District for treatment, then sent back as recycled water for irrigation.
Energy-efficient Lighting
Advanced lighting controls in this building save 50 percent more energy than light fixtures in similar structures. Daylight sensors monitor the outdoors, so when enough daylight is available, the sensor dims the indoor lighting. Occupancy sensors dim lighting when they do not detect any people in a particular area. Fluorescent overhead light fixtures have been replaced with LED lights.
Optimized Cooling
This building uses UCSB’s chilled water loop for cooling: Energy is generated at a central place and distributed to nearby structures. As a result, individual buildings avoid the need to install and maintain their own boilers, furnaces, chillers, or air conditioners, saving huge amounts of energy as well as capital and maintenance costs.
Healthy Air
Air-handling units for heating, cooling, and ventilation all have energy-saving and eco-friendly features. When the air outside is the temperature that we’d like inside (which is often the case in Santa Barbara), these units take that air in directly instead of cooling or heating it. Low-toxicity paints contribute to cleaner, healthier air overall.
Insulating Windows
The windows are double-paned, so they are better at insulation, and also have a coating that allows light in but blocks extra heat. Cool air doesn’t escape in summer, and heated air is captured during chillier times.
Reducing Waste
All waste-intensive paper towel dispensers in restrooms have been replaced with Dyson hand dryers. Several new hydration stations have been installed throughout the buildings to reduce plastic bottle waste. The Library has also added four composting bins on the 1st and 2nd floors and one e-waste bin on the 1st floor.
Creating Electricity
The Library has installed solar panels on top of the building, which feed into the campus energy system, and outdoor solar powered tables.
