![\"Artist](\"https:\/\/sites.coloradocollege.edu\/bulletin\/files\/2016\/08\/BUL-AUG16-PG13-TuttRenoExterior.jpg\")
<\/a>Artist rendition courtesy of Pfeiffer Partners Architects, Inc., 2016<\/p><\/div>\n
Allowing for technology-equipped seminar rooms, study space, and group collaboration rooms, as well as a caf\u00e9, the new building aims to bring the campus community together in both structured and unstructured ways. Being flexible to engage both faculty and student interests will be the key to the physical \u2014 and academic \u2014 space offered within CC\u2019s new library, which is scheduled to open in August 2017.<\/p>\n
The renovation preserves some elements \u00a0of the original structure, while creating a new space that supports collaboration and increases access for all students. The new building will house some 1,100 seats. That\u2019s more than double the 495 seats available in the current library.<\/p>\n
An increase in capacity doesn\u2019t only apply to seating: CC\u2019s sustainability efforts are also gaining a big boost from the project. While the word \u201clibrary\u201d may not invoke visions of sustainability powerhouses \u2014 a facility of its type is<\/em> still stocked with shelves and shelves of dead trees \u2014 when it comes to the future of Tutt Library, that\u2019s exactly what the campus will be getting.<\/p>\n The renovated library will enhance CC\u2019s distinctive sense of place, supporting the college\u2019s strategic initiative to be recognized as a model of environmental stewardship and innovation by advancing both the study and the practice of sustainability. Every detail of the project \u2014 from the architecture to the construction process \u2014 is conducted through the lens of sustainability.<\/p>\n When complete, the new Tutt Library will be a major player in fulfilling CC\u2019s goal of reaching campus carbon neutrality by 2020.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the coolest project I\u2019ve worked on,\u201d says Ian Johnson, CC\u2019s sustainability director. \u201cThis is ground-\u2028breaking for me, and for, I think, colleges in general.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe scale of this is what makes it so cool, the scale of it and the operation,\u201d he adds. \u201cThis is basically a 24\/7 building, 90,000-plus square feet. To be a carbon-neutral building \u2014 it\u2019s never actually been done before that we can find, not in a library of this scale. This is kind of a first, especially at an institute of higher ed.\u201d<\/p>\n Photo by Bryan Oller<\/p><\/div>\n When it came to the whole package \u2014 everything from building envelope performance, to indoor air quality, to artificial lighting, and more \u2014 the Campus Sustainability Council and the Office of Sustainability weighed in heavily on the decision to make the new library a net-zero energy building. One of the key pieces to this will be its continuous loop geothermal heating and cooling system, which uses the thermal mass of the earth to both warm and cool the building.<\/p>\n \u201cEssentially in summertime the system works like a large air conditioner,\u201d Johnson says. \u201cBut instead of dumping heat into the air, like a window A\/C unit does, we\u2019re dumping that heat into a water loop that\u2019s pumped through the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n The earth absorbs the excess heat, which cools the water to make its way back up for another pass and absorb more heat that the system is rejecting into the ground.<\/p>\n In the winter, the process reverses. Heat that\u2019s been stored during the summer gets transferred back up and through the building. \u201cIt\u2019s somewhat of an HVAC miracle,\u201d Johnson says with a laugh.<\/p>\n To make all of this happen, CC needs a grid of 80 vertical wells drilled down 400 feet. Along with the big transfer of books, journals, and other materials to the temporary Creekside facility at the northwest edge of campus, it was one of the first parts of the project to begin in May right after Commencement 2016. And though it might seem like an expensive ordeal, in the big picture, it\u2019s not for the total $45 million expansion and renovation that will add a modern design, open-concept indoor study space, outdoor terrace space, and expansive views of Pikes Peak.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the questions that people like to ask is, \u2018What\u2019s the payback on something like this geothermal deal?,\u2019 \u201d says Johnson. \u201cThere\u2019s not a great answer for it, and I\u2019ll tell you why: because we designed this building as a full system, almost a living, breathing system. And because we did that, the additional costs were relatively low. I think it was about two percent of the total cost of the project. If we were to take an existing building, or if we had remodeled the library and then decided we wanted it to be net-zero, the costs would be exceptionally higher and the payback would normally not be feasible.\u201d<\/p>\n The geothermal system is just one of the new library\u2019s sustainability features. The entire facility is being designed and modeled as a zero-carbon building (ZCB). That means it will produce zero annual net carbon emissions with zero net energy (natural gas and electricity) consumption. The total energy consumed by the building on an annual basis is roughly equal to the amount of projected renewable energy provided to the local grid.<\/p>\n<\/a>