Washington Park Library, Milwaukee

Finney Library in Washington Park features a collection of 82,000 books, periodicals, newspapers, videos, compact disks and digital video disks.

Special collections and programs include adult literacy, African American, job and career and others.

Patrons come to the library to use computers for Internet research, compile reports, job search, write resumes and develop business plans.

The facility has 40 computers, and a computer center allows presentations to small groups and classes.

Energy Efficiency Key

The library uses a variety of energy-saving systems.

Ground-source heat pumps are used for heating and cooling the facility. They use the earth as a constant temperature source to supplement the building's heating and cooling systems.

Several initiatives - selecting insulating for the windows, controlling direct sunlight, reducing the amount of electrical lighting - reduce the size of the mechanical systems.
Daylight was integral to the design. The building's orientation and siting were partly selected to maximize daylight penetration.

The reading room has south-facing windows for ample daylight, but to avoid excess, external sunshades and interval light shelves control the daylight.

The extensive use of natural light allows automatic controls for electric systems to turn off some lamps during the day.

The library has the potential to rejuvenate the Washington Park area. A high-visibility site that had been vacated due to a fire and subsequent business relocations was used.

The jury said, "An overall nice project. The indirect lighting and the open feeling came off very nicely."

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