Greenline led a team of 10 professional service firms to design the Southwest Chatham two-story library located on Savannah’s south side. The first newly constructed library in Savannah in 20 years, the facility is nestled in a grove of majestic live oak trees, intrinsically a trademark feature of Live Oak Public Libraries system. This technologically-forward destination for literary enthusiasts and families throughout coastal Georgia is LEED Silver Certified. A greater achievement is that this publicly-funded library features many concepts that go beyond the LEED rating system, benefiting the community by minimizing operating costs for energy, maintenance, and staffing.

 

Design features include bicycle and pedestrian access, recycling stations, natural day lighting, light pollution reduction, optimal energy performance, recycled content and regional building materials. Spaces include a 200-person multipurpose meeting room, separate children’s, teen & adult service areas, individual conference spaces, study rooms and administrative spaces.

 

The children to be served by this building were a major consideration in the overall design.  The owner tasked the designers with developing a children’s area that would spark imagination and be a catalyst for the love of reading. 

 

Good sight lines developed throughout the building during schematic design allow for reduced staffing and maximize visibility throughout the library. This design feature directly reduced operational costs within the building, thus giving the client the opportunity to use these funds for additional programs or collections.