The Grove Library as an example: A “green” library in terms of ongoing community engagement, community expectations, information provision and sharing, and partnerships

Abstract

The Grove Library in Perth, Western Australia, is an example of an aspirational community statement about an environmentally sustainable future, expressed through its library. There is inevitably a sense of euphoria around the opening of a new “green” public building, with an optimistic expectation that all systems will perform as designed. However, the intent that The Grove should be a pioneer demonstration building implicitly included acceptance of the risk that some of the untried technologies would not perform as anticipated. The challenge is to analyse and accept any shortcomings as equally valid “learnings”, rather than allow them to overshadow the overall success of the project. This paper is not, however, a treatise on the technological aspects of the building. The ordinary business of a new library goes on while staff and the management work through challenges with the infrastructure, as is equally true of conventionally designed new buildings. This paper explores the community expectations and realities around an aspirational green building; the on-going interaction of a green library with its staff, customers and visitors; and the programming