Year in Review: A stunning new library opened
Hayward’s new 21st Century Library and Community Learning Center opened its doors for regular operations and a community open house on Sept. 14.
Construction of the new main library at 888 C Street and Heritage Plaza on the site of the old main library across C Street is being financed through the Measure C half-cent sales tax passed by Hayward voters in June 2014.
The new three-story, 58,000-square-foot library houses 50 percent more books and other materials than its predecessor, dozens more computers for public use, a Makerspace featuring 3D printers, robotics and textiles, a digital media lab, multiple community meeting rooms, a café, a Homework Support Center in the children’s library and a public art installation.
Together, the new library and Heritage Plaza were designed to set a new standard for environmentally sustainable design in public projects. The building is a net-zero-energy facility, meaning it is 100 percent energy self-sufficient, and is powered by 100 percent carbon-free sources of electricity.
To conserve drinking water, the new library and surrounding facilities will capture and store rainwater in a cistern beneath the location of the old main library for future non-potable uses, such as flushing toilets and irrigation.
