The architects met with the building committee, library and museum staff, city officials, and the public last Wednesday and Thursday. The public meeting was held on Thursday evening with a turnout of approximately 30 people. Here were some concerns and questions:
- Need basement storage (so we'll take a look at two options and cost them out accordingly in order to make sound decisions)
- Kitchen/ Kitchenette - delete the stove so that we won't have to design a commercial kitchen which means having commercial hoods, 3-compartment sink, commercial dishwasher, etc. We're to look at creating a small area within the meeting room storage area for a tidier appearance
- Meeting room sink - make sure it's a double sink to function well for childrens' art/craft classes/sessions
- Windows - lots of views and openness/light versus energy loss/consumption. We're going to use some computer modeling techniques to analyze energy and lighting ramifications
- Art - where and how to incorporate into the building. Need to discuss with the building committee and user group to create a process of where and how much art. Could incorporate into the building elements as well as separate art pieces. It was suggested that we could even etch art into the exterior finish materials!
- Exterior finishes - metal siding can be quite cold and sterile. The finishes have not been considered at this point. Currently we are making sure that the plan works and that we have the right amount of window to wall ratio.
- Roofing material and loads - concerns about low-slope membrane roof. We're proposing to use a PVC or TPO membrane roof that is very durable, raven proof, and can be installed without tenting. Typical warranties range from 15 to 30 years. There will be internal drains to mitigate freeze up and manage roof run off as there are no storm drains to tie into to.
- Plan modifications to lessen the boxy nature - we will look at introducing plan gestures within the interior spaces, especially at the children's library. But generally we like to use the section, or vertical/spatial aspect to give interest and variation to the spaces.
- Boilers/ HVAC system - we suggested that perhaps an electric and oil fired boilers could be explored as a possible way to mitigate market fluctuations in fuel costs. Typically 2 boilers are designed for the sake of redundancy in the event that one goes out. We are going to explore having one electric and the other oil.
