Muses of Design/ Library
This is the exterior of the library. The windows shown in the picture are the only windows that exist in the library, however, they are covered all the time. This causes the library to feel very enclosed and natural sunlight hardly enters into the room through these windows. As well, the windows are almost never opened during the summer or cooled off days.
Comments
Do you know what direction these windows face? If you haven't already, think about less intrusive shading solutions for these windows. Uncovering them is the easy solution, but depending on which direction they face, that might mean introducing more unwanted solar heat into the library. Providing louvers would be a good solution, but you would have to design them based on the path of the sun. Doing a simple sketch like the ones shown here can help you figure it all out:http://www.discoverdesign.org/discover/site
The windows face towards the south and usually do not get direct sunlight until midday. The group is planning to add in a few deciduous trees and shrubs around the south and west sides. These plants could then help block solar heat during the summer, to keep the building a few degrees cooler. Then, during the winter when they lose all of their leaves, the sunlight can shine through, keeping the building a few degrees warmer. Also, for the garden's patio, we are going to be using an adjustable patio cover, like from Solara. This will allow natural light into the patio, along with shade. When it is raining or is too hot, then the cover can be closed.
Looks like your architect is on board! Wahoooo! Maybe remove the existing "problem tree", recycle the wood into something useful, and planting something that is more friendly to your design?