COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT elevator shafts and monumental staircase were reinforced with steel to support the substantial shelves of books while allowing for glass partitions, curved walls and more modern open floorplans.
Eyes set ahead
The new library was completed in the third quarter of 2019, and was scheduled to open to the public the first quarter of 2020, just as the country was restricting access to public gatherings due to the pandemic, so it has not yet been opened to the public. When its doors open, hopefully later this year, the community will be able to experience its stunning new spaces.
Beyond the beautifully tiled main entrance lies a dedicated children’s area, with a teen space below it and two floors of adult stacks and collaboration spaces above. Beyond the beautifully tiled main entrance lies a dedicated children’s area, with a teen space below it and two floors of adult stacks and collaboration spaces above. A glass-enclosed two story auditorium for teaching and events opens on to an outdoor amphitheater where additional programming can be held. Two distinct maker spaces were built on the first and third floors, wired for technology and equipped with 3-D printers, and other equipment to support creative and educational uses. The fourth floor addition is topped with a partial green roof that contributes both to programming possibilities and to the building’s ambitious sustainability metrics while also creating delightful outdoor terraces where library patrons can meet or
relax on temperate days. The overhang of this addition creates a covered walkway area outside the main entrance that serves as an additional gathering space. Until its grand opening, the public can take advantage of one of the library’s other new innovations—instead of a traditional drop box for returns, the library installed an automated system that scans returned items and sorts them robotically using radio-frequency identification (RFID) tagging into separate bins for re-shelving or return to their home locations. This frees time for the staff to focus on retrieving items that patrons place on hold for pick up now and for other library priorities as things reopen.
From a construction standpoint, the project was an interesting challenge requiring tactical demolition and complicated reconstruction around the existing structure. Despite these obstacles, in the nearly halfa-million man-hours spent on the project, there was not a single safety incident that resulted in lost time. The whole team now can take pride in the satisfaction of a rewarding collaborative design and construction relationship, tremendous public support, and the promise of civic pride and community-building inherent in a beautiful structure so well-tailored to meet the needs of its vibrant population for decades to come. CCR
Greg Peele is Executive VP/GM for Skanska USA Building Inc.
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COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION — ISSUE 4, 2021
