Engberg Anderson

The Rakow Branch facility of the Gail Borden Library District in Elgin, Illinois has been awarded LEED ® Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC.)   LEED is the USGBC’s leading rating system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy efficient and high performing buildings.

The sustainable design utilizes stormwater management, natural light maximization and high energy performance.  Set along the north edge of a 70-acre wetland, the 10,000 sf building opens to the south to connect the occupants to light and views, in particular at the many community gathering spaces, while establishing the role of the building in preserving the movement of water across the site to the wetland. 

With a broad overhang and a vertical array of louvers, the south wall manages heat gain while making the connection to the environment.  A central clerestory band parallels the south wall bringing light deeper into the building, reducing glare, and reinforcing the primary circulation path through the building.  Tremendous energy savings are developed through a ground source heat pump system, fed by twelve wells each 450 feet deep. 

In addition to the energy saving technology, the library features several automated systems that will further reduce operating expenses.  Automated material handling, exterior vending and radio frequency identification (RFID) along with extensive use of self serve concepts reduce the operating expenses of the facility.  The library was features as a new model for branch libraries at the 2009 Illinois Library Association Conference in Peoria.