The Ritter Public Library in Vermilion, OH, didn't start out aiming to be the greenest library in the state, but, this summer, it's new addition will achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold or Platinum certification. Currently, only 20 libraries in the United States are LEED-certifed Gold and two Platinum.

Director Janet Ford, business manager Janet Springer, board members, and principal of architectural firm CBHL Design, Marc Bittinger, set out to build an environmentally friendly facility. As the project progressed, the library administration became more aware of the wide array of green options and features possible and recognized the opportunity to educate their own and neighboring communities about sustainability.

Opened in March 2010, the new 18,000 square foot facility employs a range of green technologies and strategies. With the use of low-flow plumbing fixtures and a rainwater cistern for toilets and irrigation, the library uses only one quarter as much water as a normal building structure—the yearly water savings is enough to fill 2300 bathtubs. A highly efficient variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system using refrigerant piping to heat and cool, along with high levels of insulation and upgraded windows, will result in a more than 40 percent energy savings. The energy saved is enough to power approximately four homes or keep a 100 watt light bulb burning for 263 years. Additionally, 93 percent of all construction waste was recycled, and a bio-retention rain garden collects storm-water runoff from a permeable paver parking lot.

In keeping with the spirit of sustainable education, CBHL is working with the library to create a signage program for patrons to enjoy a self-guided tour of all the features that have been incorporated into the library's design.

Of particular interest is the vegetative green roof (above) on part of the building planted with native species, visible from the second floor of the library. The green roof, although a more expensive option, serves as an educational tool, demonstrates reduction of rainwater runoff, and reduces the "heat island" effect.

"The green roof was always part of the discussions, but when the educational opportunity became a driving force in the design, we knew it not only had to be part of the design but would need to be visible from inside and even accessible for small groups to see it up close," Bittinger says. To get this benefit, they went back to tweak the original plan to create a two-story solution that departed aesthetically from the original Neoclassical building. However, by lowering the first structural bay of the building and constructing a basement, he adds, "we were able to maintain the strong presence of the original building and end up with roof area that would be directly adjacent to a reading space. A great solution and a perfect example of consideration, collaboration, and implementation. Something all good projects have."