Library Media Center                                             

Nakano Associates collaborated with Schacht Aslani Architects on the new Library Media Center on the Peninsula College campus. The primary design goals of this project were to provide a beautiful natural setting for the new building that transitions to its greater native Northwest context, and to implement sustainable approaches to address energy consumption, groundwater pollution, and other environmental issues. The design features a series of cascading rain gardens that are good for the earth and add seasonal color to the campus.

Sustainability Strategies

To achieve the ecological goals of this project, native plants that do not require permanent irrigation were specified. To reduce the impact of stormwater runoff, bioretention rain gardens were located on the west and north sides of the building to hold, clean, and slowly release stormwater. The existing underlying glacial till was excavated to a minimum depth of 24 inches and replaced with an amended composted soil to store the maximum amount of runoff. The rain gardens were planted with species suitable for wet conditions and tolerant of pollutants. The project targeted LEED^® Silver Certification.