Overheating Of Green Public Library Buildings In Auckland: Three Case Studies

Historically, there is a paradigm shift in the design and construction of public library buildings, from heavyweight construction with passive design strategies and minimal impact on the environment, to modern public library buildings with light weight design and construction. Modern public library buildings displaced the need for natural ventilation and permitted building designers to ignore solar protection. This led to a dependency on mechanical means to achieve indoor thermal comfort and allow buildings to capitalise on diminishing energy resources. Green building initiatives were developed to enhance the environmental quality of buildings by reducing their negative impacts on the natural environment. However, green buildings are problematically characterised by a high proportion of glazing. Whilst this could be beneficial in effectively illuminating green public library buildings, a high proportion of glazing also raises questions about the indoor thermal environment and occupants’ satisfaction during long periods of mild outside temperatures as increased external temperature would increase the indoor thermal temperatures and discomfort.