This November 16, the Loyola Schools community will be welcoming the opening of its newest building yet, the new Rizal Library. A little sneak peek into the new library was offered by Mrs. Lourdes T. David, Rizal Library Director: the circulation desk and information desk will both be at the ground floor and aside from two multi-media viewing rooms (MMR), an additional two MMRs dedicated for small groups or individuals were added. The design of the library definitely took the needs of the community in mind, considering the growing collection and providing greater seating capacity for the library users. The library aims to "provide a learning space that will actively engage students in their pursuit of knowledge" said Mrs. David.
Aside from being a modern library, the new Rizal library also incorporates green building concepts. The library was designed to allow more efficient consumption of energy and water. One way by which energy consumption will be made more efficient is by orienting the building such that its windows are not facing the west and east. This will keep the building from receiving direct sunlight, minimizing the rise in temperature thereby decreasing the energy needed for air conditioning. Other energy efficient technologies featured in the library are light bulbs that require less energy and air and water inlets for natural cooling instead of air conditioning.
Water conservation, meanwhile, will be done through rainwater harvesting technology. The roof of the library is slanted to direct the water to a rain catchment cistern. From there, collected rainwater will be used for flushing toilets in the building. The use of dual piping keeps the rainwater separate from potable water.
