Sustainability Report
Embodied carbon
The project's principal embodied-carbon strategy was the retention and renovation of the existing 1981 library structure rather than demolition and replacement. The design preserves the majority of the building, avoiding substantial quantities of new structural materials and reducing emissions associated with demolition, waste processing, material production, transportation, and reconstruction.
According to the project information provided by SOM, this reuse strategy achieved an estimated 80% reduction in embodied carbon compared with a new public assembly building. The project also reorganized the existing floor plates to increase usable capacity, including a 90% expansion of the children's area without increasing the building footprint. Rather than constructing an entirely new building to accommodate the expanded program, the design extracts additional value from the existing structure.
Other strategies include open ceilings and selective acoustic treatments, which reduce the extent of additional interior finish materials. The existing structure therefore represents the project's most significant embodied-carbon asset.
Operational Emissions / Energy
The library is designed as a 100% all-electric building, eliminating fossil-fuel-based heating infrastructure. Its primary operational-energy strategy is a ground-source heat pump system connected to 70 geothermal boreholes beneath the southern parking lot. Each borehole is approximately 436 feet deep, according to SOM's project information.
The closed-loop, water-based geothermal system uses the relatively stable underground temperature as a heat source during winter and a heat sink during summer. SOM states that the geothermal system supplies renewable heating and cooling, while more recent project reporting indicates that it satisfies the library's heating and cooling needs. This reduces reliance on conventional fossil-fuel combustion for space conditioning.
The building envelope and orientation also support reduced operational energy demand. Key strategies include:
- expansive south-facing glazing for controlled daylight access;
- minimized east- and west-facing openings to reduce unwanted solar gain;
- motorized shading;
- insulated glazing;
- a thermally improved enclosure with bronze aluminum panels;
- two new atria and skylights that introduce daylight into deeper areas of the existing floor plates;
- a 100% all-electric building-services strategy.
The project is also prepared for future rooftop solar installation and other electrical upgrades. A later City of Appleton solar assessment modeled a potential 171.2 kW rooftop solar system with estimated annual generation of approximately 208.3 MWh, but this should be treated as a future solar assessment rather than proof that the system is already installed
Service and maintenance emissions
The project reduces potential service and maintenance impacts primarily by extending the life of the existing structure rather than replacing it. Reusing the main building avoids the immediate emissions associated with demolition and reconstruction and preserves the service life of the existing structural system.
The renovation also upgrades the building's enclosure and major mechanical systems rather than continuing to operate older infrastructure. The geothermal system is intended to provide long-term heating and cooling, while the all-electric design avoids maintaining fossil-fuel-based heating infrastructure. Open ceilings and selective acoustic treatments may also reduce the quantity of suspended ceiling and finish materials that require replacement over time.
Flexible and subdividable spaces can further reduce the need for future major renovations. The third-floor meeting room can accommodate up to approximately 300 people and be subdivided for smaller groups, while coworking spaces, study rooms and multipurpose areas support changing uses.
Afterlife
Adaptive reuse is the central strategy of the project.
Rather than demolishing the 1981 library, the design retains and reorganizes the majority of the existing structure. The original floor plates are opened through strategic interventions that introduce daylight and establish connections between the building's three levels. This allows the library to accommodate significantly changed spatial requirements while retaining the principal structural resource.
The project also incorporates flexible spaces that can support changing programs. The large meeting room can be subdivided, while multipurpose spaces, coworking areas and study rooms provide a less fixed programmatic structure. The children's area was expanded by 90% through reorganization rather than footprint expansion.
The building is also prepared for future environmental upgrades, including solar infrastructure, which extends the useful life and environmental capacity of the renovated building.
The strongest circular strategy is therefore retention of the existing building structure and extension of its service life, rather than a documented system of modular components designed for future removal and reuse. The use of selective interior treatments and adaptable spaces may reduce the need for future material replacement, but this should not be presented as evidence of a fully designed disassembly strategy unless the project team provides further documentation.
Key products in low carbon design
