King LEED 5 Indoor Environmental Quality

How is the building built and operated to make it a high quality environment for staff and patrons?

Daylight and views
Study areas feature daylight.

The building was designed for the books to be in the protected interior and the occupied spaces to be near windows.

You can see daylight from almost everywhere in the building, including the lower level, which has numerous skylights.

An atrium brings light to the central core of the building.

Staff offices take advantage of daylight and many have views.

Study areas are placed near windows.

Daylight control
South-facing windows have small dots that do not interrupt the view, but help temper sunlight.

Not all daylight is welcome.

There are operable shades in the public area as well as in staff offices.

South and West facing glass have small dots to help keep overly-bright light out.

South and West facing windows have overhangs that shade them in the summer but allow light in during the winter when the sun is lower in the sky.

Design and construction: Air quality

Built-in walk-off mats are augmented by removable mats to help keep dust and allergens out of the building.

The building was designed to protect future occupants from toxics.

Janitorial closets have separate ventilation systems.

No products containing asbestos, PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls) or CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons) were installed.

All paints and adhesives were specified to be low in VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds).

Smoking was not allowed in the building during construction.

Permanent walk-off mats were installed at each entry to help keep dirt, dust and allergens out.

Operations: Air quality

MERV 14 air filters keep the air cleaner.

There are no high-volume copy centers in the building, all large copy jobs are sent off-site.

The HVAC system uses highly efficient MERV 14 air filters to remove particulates from the air

Smoking is not allowed within 25 feet of Library doors. Some day the whole campus may become smoke-free.

Cleaning products are chosen for low impact on building occupants and custodial staff.

Integrated pest management (IPM)
IPM delays the use of toxics until all other methods have been tried.

IPM Strategy includes:

  • First use non-chemical methods.
    • Identify the cause of the infestation, is there food or something else bringing the pests into the building or onto the site?
    • Figure out how the pests are getting in and block them.
    • Trap and remove pests, if possible.
  • Use poison as a last resort
    • Use least-toxic chemical specific to pest.
    • Notify occupants if chemicals will be used so that sensitive individuals can take appropriate precautions.

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