Green Standard for Rebuilding

Franklin Library sets the green standard for rebuilding

A construction worker makes progress on the renovation of the Franklin Avenue Library in Des Moines. / Bob Modersohn/Special to the Register

Apr. 14, 2011 - Imagine nearly doubling the size of your house and paying just a third of the original utility bills. On paper, it seems like a crazy idea, but thanks to a cornucopia of green-building materials and technologies, that's just what the post-renovation Franklin Avenue Library will do once it reopens this summer.

For fans of the library, the renovation means a completely revamped building that accommodates uses never possible in the old space. For budget watchers, the new systems equal less of a drain on the library's fixed costs. For the city, the project will become a shining environmental star in the metro area's public facilities.

A much-loved facility {continued}