Page 102 - Green Building Through Integrated Design

ADOPT “RIGHT MIND” 79

That response reminds me of the story about the purchase of a bicycle shipped here
from Japan. The instructions were translated from Japanese, and there are often some
curious translations when you do that. The first step translated was, “Adopt right
mind.” If you think about that, how long does that take? Does it take even one minute?

“Adopt right mind” is a way of saying, “take a fresh look at the situation.” That
could be the motto for the entire integrated design process. This reminds me of the
classic Zen saying, “in the expert’s mind there are few possibilities; in the beginner’s
mind there are many.” The trick is to balance the curiosity of a beginner with the tools
and experience of the expert. An engineer might express it as “going back to first
principles” and beginning to design from the ground up. What one finds is that the
really best architectural and engineering designers have a way of suspending disbelief
long enough to come up with some fresh approaches, then putting all of their skills to
work on the project to bring the initial design idea—which might be just a sketch or
outline of an idea—to fruition.

PLATINUM PROJECT PROFILE

Lake View Terrace Branch Library, Los Angeles, California
Located in the San Fernando Valley, Lake View Terrace Library is a branch library
and multi-use facility for the city of Los Angeles. Completed in June 2003, the con-
struction cost for the 10,700 square-foot library was $4.4 million. Over 40 percent
more efficient than California energy standards, the building shell was constructed
with high-mass concrete masonry units (CMU) with exterior insulation and
employs a night-flush venting cooling strategy. Approximately 80 percent of the
building is naturally ventilated with mechanically interlocked windows controlled
by the building’s energy management system. Nearly all of the glazing is shaded
during operating hours while providing glare-free daylight throughout. A building-
integrated photovoltaic system provides some of that shading as well as 15 percent
of the building’s energy requirements. Bioswales and other landscaping features
reduce stormwater runoff by 25 percent.*

*AIA/COTE Top Ten Green Projects, AIA: The American Institute of Architects [online], http://www.aiatopten.
org/hpb/overview.cfm?ProjectID=289, accessed April 2008.