Desert Library Awarded LEED Gold

   

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The first thing that a visitor might notice when stopping by the recently completed $10.6 million Appaloosa Branch Library in Scottsdale is that the building’s exterior seems to shift colors, blending with the surrounding Sonoran Desert landscape.

 

The 21,200-square-foot library, which qualifies for a LEED Gold rating, also uses far less energy than comparably sized buildings and is the first building ever constructed with Duranar VARI-Cool iridescent coatings by PPG Industries of Pittsburgh.

 

The facility, which has a reported collection of nearly 80,000 books, CDs, and DVDs, is made of recycled and Low-VOC materials and uses photovoltaic cells to produce energy.

 

Additionally, the Duranar VARI-Cool coatings contain pearlescent pigments that reflect the sun’s energy using ULTRA-Cool infrared-reflective coatings technology designed by PPG. Besides helping buildings stay cooler, the coatings change color according to viewing angle and how light refracts across their surface, according to PPG. 

 

For the Appaloosa Branch Library, VARI-Cool offers the appearance of the coating changes from dark green to silver to mauve. In a static state, the coating projects a light gray-green tint that matches plants, sand and the surrounding desert landscape.

 

PPG expects that with the Duranar VARI-Cool coatings that the building will use an estimated 32 percent less energy than a comparably sized library.

 

Completed in November of last year, the library was designed for the City of Scottsdale by DWL Architects + Planners of Phoenix and Douglas Sydnor Architect and Associates of Scottsdale.

 

Duranar VARI-Cool coatings are available in 17 pre-formulated standard tints. Visit www.ppgideascapes.com to learn more.