The Adriance Memorial Library, Poughkeepsie Public Library District

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Photo of The Adriance Memorial Library, Poughkeepsie Public Library District

Location: Poughkeepsie, NY
General Contractor: Meyer Contracting Corporation
Date Completed: August 2009
Construction Management: The Palombo Group

Project Description

The Poughkeepsie Public Library District needed improvements made to the Adriance Memorial Library, and The Palombo Group was awarded the contract for construction management. The project came with a budget of $14,515,000 and included a new four-story addition consisting of 50,000 square feet. There were several green attributes to this project which made it especially exciting to construct.

Of special note were the new geothermal heating and cooling systems which operate off of well fields that were dug beneath the buildings and the newly created parking. A geothermal well system is an exciting project when viewed from a green perspective. Typically, these systems cost less than electricity generated systems do. They also reduce the output of pollution from energy that is created by burning resources (such as trash, natural gas, oil, etc.) and eliminate the creation of toxic waste from nuclear power sources. With this type of system, water is pumped through pipelines into the Earth and then back up into the building’s system to be distributed throughout the building or to generate cooled/heated air. The water is either cooled in the summer by the lower temperature of the Earth’s lower layers, or heated in the winter by the Earth’s abundant and natural heat. This type of system ensures the comfort of the community without a high cost to the planet or the people themselves.

In keeping with the creation of a green environment, the Adriance Library was also finished with low VOC paints and finishes. This means that the off gassing of chemicals from paints and stains is kept to a minimum and that the air breathed by the community members who visit the library is clean and free of dangerous poisons. The Poughkeepsie Public Library District should be credited for their concern with the health of their community members and the creation of a Silver LEED certified building.