Half Moon Bay Library Wins Green Building Award

San Mateo County Libraries are excited to announce that our new Half Moon Bay Library has won an award for sustainability.  Sustainable San Mateo County (SSMC) will honor the Half Moon Bay Library and other award winners at its 20th Annual Awards Dinner on Thursday, April 4. The Library, along with our County and City partners will be presented with the Green Building Award for our innovative green practices and sustainability efforts.  

The new two-story, 22,000-square-foot Library opened its doors in August 2018 and features an inviting, modern reflection of the close Coastside community. It has something for everyone and offers endless opportunities for growth and community impact, including a heavy focus on sustainability. The building is LEED certified Gold, and it is projected to be Leed Platinum. It is also expected to be a net zero energy building and features tons of eco-friendly components inside and out of the building. 

Exciting Green and Sustainable Features Include: 

• The building uses natural ventilation and an in-floor hydronic heating system to reduce energy consumption for heating and cooling
• The building maximizes natural ventilation and uses low-VOC materials to improve indoor air quality
• The building maximizes window space to daylight the building as much as possible and avoids the over-use of artificial lighting
• Exterior space showcases predominantly drought-tolerant, native plants, and permeable pavers are in the landscaping
• A stormwater system that uses bioswales and retention planters to filter and infiltrate rainwater on site
• All plumbing fixtures are reduced-flow fixtures
• The project prioritized regional materials, recycled materials, and rapidly renewable materials, like FSC Certified Wood  
• Fuel-efficient transport is supported by including priority parking and chargers for electric vehicles, as well as bicycle parking and showers/changing rooms for staff  

Library staff also do their part to promote going green by hosting programs focused on sustainability. Many of our programs use recyclable materials and center around reuse and upcycling.  Last year, the Half Moon Bay Library in partnership with the Office of Sustainability, hosted a Fixit Clinic to teach patrons how to repair their broken household items. Library users can also borrow a “Check It Out!” Energy and Water Savings Toolkit from any of our libraries. These kits are outfitted with tools, supplies, measuring devices and a user-friendly guide, to help residents conserve water, use less electricity and save money by taking a few simple actions. The Library system also recycles 3D printer filaments, offers sewing machines for patrons to mend and create textiles and promotes e-receipts to all library visitors.  

We are honored to receive an award for our efforts in sustainability and we look forward to continuing to implement green practices in our buildings, policies, and activities system-wide.  

The new state-of-the-art Library was built through a partnership comprised of the City of Half Moon Bay, San Mateo County Libraries and the County of San Mateo.  It was designed by Noll & Tam Architects of Berkeley and constructed by BHM Construction, Inc. of Napa. The Green Building Award is sponsored by Sustainable San Mateo County (SSMC) and the American Institute of Architects of San Mateo County.  For additional information about the award dinner, please visit www.sustainablesanmateo.org.