After several delays, an opening date has finally been set for the new Austin Central Library. October 28th will be the grand opening of our city’s flagship library branch.
The new library is located in the Seaholm EcoDistrict, which has been redeveloped in recent years using green design and construction practices.
Some features of the district include:
- District-wide air conditioning with chilled water infrastructure and solar panels on roofs and benches
- Large-scale rainwater collection in cisterns and reclaimed water used for landscape irrigation and toilet flushing
- All new development designed and constructed according to LEED or Austin Energy Green Building standards
- Fast-charging electric vehicle stations
- A wide array of transportation options throughout the neighborhood, including buses, Austin B-cycle, car2go, and the new Butterfly Bridge
- Improvements to Shoal Creek and the surrounding parkland
The library itself also contains many environmentally-friendly features, including:
- Lots of bicycle parking
- A Recycled Reads gift boutique
- Rooftop garden, irrigated with captured rainwater and reclaimed wastewater
- 180-kilowatt solar array, which also provides shades for the rooftop garden. This is the largest rooftop solar installation in downtown Austin.
- Aiming for a LEED Platinum certification, which is the highest rating possible under the LEED green building rating system.
In total, the library cost $125 million, with $90 million coming from a voter-approved bond. Construction on the library began in 2013. It is replacing Austin’s current Faulk Central Library (located on Guadalupe Street in downtown Austin). The Faulk facility will close Saturday, September 16th. More info>>
