The beautiful interior of the new Encinitas library under construction, photo by Fred Caldwell.
What Color is the Encinitas Library?
guest editorial by Demeter,
What color is the library? Green or brown? Black or red?
It can't be green. The structure is mostly concrete and the over-designed, oversized and beyond necessary retaining wall required a colossal amount of concrete to construct. Concrete production releases huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Creating concrete requires the release of CO2 from limestone and a huge expenditure of fossil fuels. That is why concrete is at the center of the global change debate. The library is brown.
It can't be black. Contrary to Danny Dalager's campaign statements it has gone way over budget. Two years ago the library project had a six million dollar budget shortfall. The library went into the red.
Compare our library to Clifton Park's new library . Clifton's library is twice the size of our library, cost $5 million less, and is LEED certified because it was built with green principles. Compare the fact sheets for the Clifton library and the Encinitas library . Clifton's library proposal was approved in 2004 and the library was completed in 2006, after 14 months of construction. The Encinitas library was already years late in 2006, when it was promised to be ready in Fall 2007, after 18 months of construction. It isn't done yet.
The color of the library is a perfect mix of brown and red all over.
Below are images of American "green" libraries.
Fayetteville Public Library. It cost 23.3 million, BUT it is 88,000 sq feet. The Encinitas library is 27,000 sq feet.
Related news links:
Encinitas council changes library art plan
Officials say they have found a way to go green and reroof a leaky City Hall essentially for free, Encinitas sees power in roof replacement
I warned you!! Never let it be said that you weren't warned loooonnnng ago!!! Now you have to deal with a over budget and behind schedule library!!!
ReplyDeleteAs for the color, it's the color of a dogs turd!!! What a joke the architect has played on Encinitas!!
But, and this is the most important thing of all.... It will have a bronze plaque with all the city council members names for the dedication ceremony. And that is most important to the council members, having their names on a bronze plaque!! $30 million dollars for a bronze plaque. When will you taxpayers wake up and throw these bums out?!?!?!
Cardiff Taxpayer
Does the city have a clause in the contract with the AIA that they can repaint the library with out his color approval?? Probably not!! Stupid shits!!!
The Cardiff library is another local eyesore but it's not the color of a dogs turd, (at least not yet) thankfully!!
Get a petition that requires the $30 million dollars boondoggle account under each councilmember's name. Bond, Dalager, Stocks, Houlihan love the presentation portion of the council meeting. It can eat up an hour or more of meeting time. Present a newly created award and statue called the flushie, a white toliet with green money being tossed into it by a council member.
ReplyDeleteJP are you still supporting Dalager as you had in Nov. 2006?
ReplyDeletePaint over the concrete? The texture in the concrete was made by pressing expensive redwood boards into the wet concrete. The boards were then trashed. What a waste of redwood and trees. There should be a major revolt if the city tries to claim that the library is green.
ReplyDeleteCan someone get a confirmation from the city about the use of one time use disposable redwood forms on the library. That just can't be true. The enviro's are going to burn down city hall if that's true.
ReplyDeleteIt's true the library is over budget and very late. I wonder if any of the other libraries pictured were? Too many projects are these days.
ReplyDeleteAs for the photo I took of our beautiful library, that was over 2 months old during it's construction. I promise it'll be presentable when it opens in February. AND I hope everyone reading this blog will be there. It's not only beautiful, the view from it is the widest seascape in town. There are many things about this library to be very proud of.
But even all the photos at this website don't do it justice. You have to be there in person.
http://members.cox.net/tomr1/fotel/reconstruction.html#070721
I don't see anything wrong with a plaque going on the building with the councilmembers names on it. Those become historic benchmarks and are not inappropriate. There's also a wall inside honoring the many financial contributors.
When it comes to comes to green aspects of this building there are plenty. When it comes to taste, some people don't like natural patinas or Raku pottery, but that's the priviledge of being an anonymous critic, and the danger of being an artist/architect - not being able to please all the people all the time. (Walls inside the library are color matched to the natural sandstone of the bluff.)
But on the other side of that coin, a sterile white walled library for Encinitas would have been at the top of my gross list.
PS. that Layfayetteville Public Library has all the appeal of a 5 story glass Nike shoe box. (With a poorly disguised cell tower on top).
It didn't need to be so expensive and a few token green aspects don't balance for the serious disrespect given to green building philosophy.
ReplyDeleteIt is a great brown elephant. We could have had a beautiful and fully functioning library that did take advantage of the view for $10 million.
My dog takes offense to the earlier reference to the color.The boards have been saved an stacked at the Hall property for a future recreation building.
ReplyDeleteNice to hear about the boards.
ReplyDeleteSucks about the concrete being so bad for the planet.
I take offense to the reference that I am somehow ugly and or that my color is offensive!! I enjoy the color that I am and the odor does not offend me either. And to those of you that will be stepping in me soon, may I suggest that you burn your shoes rather than try to salvage them in any way!! Please don't donate them to the CRC. Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteAttaboy FRED!!!
ReplyDeleteSome of those libraries are butt ugly and would look better on fire.
ReplyDeleteWho is the Chick with the hot butt?
ReplyDeleteIs that corrugated sheet metal on the floor of the library?
ReplyDeleteThe library isn't 27,000 square feet. The city is fudging. It's 25,000 square feet.
ReplyDeleteRe: 7:54,
ReplyDeleteSomeone who kept avoiding me in the hard hat tour.
Its not the size that matters, its how you use it.
ReplyDeleteAt least that what my mom keeps telling me.
J.P.-some of them might look better on fire, but none of them are the color of a dogs turd!!
ReplyDeleteThe policy for renting the community room at the new library is on the council agenda on Wednesday. One of the uses the council will consider is renting the room for religious or church services.
ReplyDeleteRe: 8:10 am
ReplyDeleteProbably a good idea since the Library will be closed on Sunday and it's the morning with the least amount of traffic on the roads. Besides, it'll pay for itself in no time if instead of rent the Library just takes half of the weekly collection.
Must a library allow religious services? According to a recent court case, no. The library was in Antioch.
ReplyDeleteWhat difference would it make what conscientious group the new library might be regularly rented to?
ReplyDeleteIt looks great!
ReplyDeleteBetter than those other ones!
The interior is stunning, MUCH better than those other ones!
Dear Encinitas citizens,
ReplyDeleteMy review of the new Encinitas library designed by Manuel Oncina was recently rejected by local newspapers. It is an accurate unbiased review that many of you may be interested in reading, especially if you have experienced the uniqueness and grandeur of the literary structure.
As a former New York Times reporter I am astonished that the podunk newspapers here saw fit to throw my review in the trash bin.
Therefore, as a public service, I believe this review should be offered to local citizens free of charge.
The following is the first paragraph:
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"Monumental Slab, The Encinitas Stacks" by John Overmeier
As the mortar attack intensified we thought it best to retreat to the fortified bunker at 540 Cornish Dr, Encinitas, California high up on a hill with a spectacular commanding view of the Pacific Ocean. Nestled in a largely residential neighborhood, the monolithic structure was mightily encased in a shroud of thick yellowish brown concrete mud which spurted out along the mortar cracks...."
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The complete article is here in .pdf format:
"Monumental Slab, The Encinitas Stacks" By John Overmeier (new-encinitas-library-manuel-oncina.pdf)
Warmest regards,
John Overmeier, Buffalo Springs Daily