With a dedicated community room, teen area, custom art from local artists, and more all surrounding a central poet's patio – the new Casa de Oro Library is ready to turn the page to its new chapter to provide expanded access and programming for the Casa de Oro and Mt Helix community.
At the grand opening ceremony, Monica Montgomery Steppe, San Diego County District 4 Supervisor, shared, "This library is more than a new public building; it is a reflection of the community that shaped it. From the very beginning, this project was guided by a simple belief: the people that use this library should have a real voice in designing it."
Community engagement was a driving feature throughout the design process, with community voices reflected throughout the space. Based on community feedback, the design features a dedicated community room to support expanded programing, study rooms for small-group learning, and tailored spaces allowing all visitors to enjoy the library comfortably. The County hosted specific teen group community engagement sessions to ensure that the teen spaces reflected the needs and desires of those that would use it the most – resulting in colorful details and flexible study spaces.
Designed to achieve LEED Gold Certification, the library features several sustainable features such as solar panels, energy-efficient lighting, native plants, electric vehicle charging stations, and bike racks and lockers. The energy produced by the solar panels will offset the electric demands of the facility, making it a Zero Net Energy facility. Throughout the design and construction process, special care was paid to sourcing and utilizing materials with less embodied carbon, a strategy utilized to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the building.
Six local artists are featured prominently both inside and outside the new library. The County commissioned each piece to be inspired by local stories and the surrounding landscape, with input from community meetings utilized to continue to refine the works for the space.
After the welcoming speeches and ceremonial ribbon cutting, guests were ushered inside to experience the new features firsthand. Visitors explored the rows of books and community spaces, listened to performances by local musicians, admired the gallery spaces, and signed up for library cards, eager to explore the wide range of services the library offers.
COAR Job Captain, Morgan Rauh, worked on the project and attended the grand opening sharing, “It was incredibly rewarding to see all the hard work that went into designing this library come to life. Seeing families explore the space, kids participating in activities, and the community already making the library their own on opening day was really special.”
Without a doubt, this next chapter for the Casa de Oro community is an exciting one. Now community members have designated spaces to meet, gather, and learn all in a sustainable building designed to reflect what makes the community special.