Project Description
Ferguson Pape Baldwin Architects, along with C.W. Driver and Architect Manuel Oncina, were selected to design and construct a new 13,500-square-foot branch library for the County of San Diego to serve the community of Alpine and the surrounding areas. The facility not only acts as a vibrant learning center for its users but also creates a busy hive of activity and cultural exchange. Alpine Library is the first County-owned zero energy facility. It has achieved both LEED Gold Certification through the USGBC and Zero Energy Certification via Living Future Institute. The project is also the first library to achieve certification through the Zero Energy program.
Alpine Library pays a significant tribute to the town’s rich history, from its ancestral settlers to today’s residents, by integrating architectural forms, art and details inspired by surrounding elements and culture, creating an exceptional gathering place that respects the local landscape and synergy with the neighboring park, Alpine Community Center and Veteran’s Wall of Honor.
The building includes a marketplace – featuring popular books, media and a computer lab – an expandable resource room for flexible programming, dividable study rooms, family homework center, distinctive areas for adults, teens and children, outdoor reading niches/patio that overlook the park, support spaces and the Alpine Library Friends Association bookstore. Alpine Library strives to provide a “Third Place” to the community, committed to promoting literacy, lifelong learning and social capital.
Alpine Library was featured for its high energy performance within “Building Catalog: Case Studies of High Performance Buildings,” a database developed by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.