Building for Books - and More

Biltmore Construction Co. has Developed a Niche With Major Library Projects

By Debra Wood

The advent of the information age has changed library design and construction.

"They are no longer just book storage and retrieval buildings," said Ed Parker Jr., president of Biltmore Construction Co. of Clearwater, Fla. "Today, the emphasis is on computers, use of the Internet, shared resources among colleges and universities, and databanks."

Biltmore typically provides construction management services for libraries. The 51-year-old company began focusing on library construction about 15 years ago, starting with a major addition at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Since then, it has completed several libraries for universities and municipalities.

To accommodate the technology, construction now includes climate-controlled computer rooms for servers and other equipment, and wiring becomes more complex. Data and electrical cables typically run through the flooring, allowing libraries to set up computer terminals in the center of the room.

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"Some are using wireless technology, and others are using category six wiring throughout, coming in from a high-speed, fiber-optic line," Parker said.

Biltmore recently completed the $13.5 million, 55,000-sq.-ft. Peter H. Armacost Library at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla. The college employs both wired and wireless access. The school also opted to move its campuswide information-technology hub to the new composite steel and concrete library building.

At the University of Florida, where Biltmore is building a $28 million, 50,000-sq.-ft. Library West addition, temperature and humidity control play an important role in preserving paper books. The university keeps its collection at 50 percent relative humidity and 65 degrees.

"Generally, the mechanical system may be larger, because of the need, especially in Florida, to keep humidity low compared to what you might find in an office or school building," said Rick Parker, vice president of Biltmore. "They want to keep it a little colder than what most people are comfortable in, so that means bigger air-conditioning systems."

The new library addition will house 4.5 million volumes. The project, which Biltmore expects to complete next spring, will consolidate its book collection in the new building and add more than 3,000 study areas while reconfiguring the existing structure.

"We're housing books in one part of the library in compact shelving, so we can increase our reader space," said Christene Eastman, project engineer for the University of Florida. "And we're providing reader spaces elsewhere in the library. There are two different temperature zones because people are not comfortable at 65 degrees."

All those books require beefed up foundations to hold additional loads. The University of Florida library sits on a thick mat slab foundation containing about 2,000 cu. yds. of concrete. Rick Parker said the foundation needed additional fortification due to the electric-powered shelving that allows the school to store more books in a single area than with a traditional layout.

"You had to have a structure that supports on the order of 300 lbs. per square foot," he said.

Interior library finishes, such as stone and wood, must withstand heavy traffic volumes. To help keep reading areas quiet, the University of Florida installed a waffle-patterned ceiling to mitigate noise.

The university will seek U.S. Green Building Council LEED Green Building certification on the library project, where the team reused more than half of the building's existing shell, selected energy-efficient windows and will make sure the envelope remains water tight. It also will recycle construction waste.

The university temporarily moved its existing library offsite to speed construction and save money.

Libraries also have become gathering places, providing spaces for study groups, book clubs, teen activities and children's story times. Sometimes that involves adding kitchen facilities for a coffee shop or small restaurant, which provide additional revenue for the library.

"They are more pleasant and more open and light," Ed Parker said.

The $21 million City of Largo Library incorporated all of these features, plus conference rooms. It even allows visitors to take books outside into secure areas. The Parkers expect to complete construction of the 90,300-sq.-ft., one- and two-story Largo facility this summer.

The structural-steel frame and masonry structure was built to withstand high wind loads.

"It was a very complex building to construct," said Henry Scubert, Largo assistant city manager. "It has gone very smoothly."

"The more you know about libraries and the more libraries you have done, the better off it can be to be selected," Ed Parker said.

Biltmore primarily works in Florida but is also licensed in North and South Carolina. In addition to libraries, the company builds hospitals, libraries, schools and correctional institutions.

"We wanted a company that had some experience in constructing libraries," Scubert said. "[Biltmore] kept us on track with regard to the budget. As we went through from design process, they did cost evaluations. When the design process concluded, we had a design we could build for the budgeted amount we had available."

The Parkers see similar demand from colleges and communities.

In another current project, the city of St. Petersburg and St. Petersburg College collaborated to build a larger facility than either could have built on its own. The libraries will share books, technology and an auditorium, but they will have separate entrances. The municipal library also has a separate wing for children.

"I think they are trend-setters," Ed Parker said. "It will ultimately save each of them a lot of money by doing so."

Biltmore completed the $8 million, 50,000-sq.-ft. steel and load-bearing masonry facility at the college's Gibbs Campus in May.

Useful Sources:

Peter H. Armacost Library at Eckerd College
http://www.eckerd.edu/librarydedication/index.php?f=miles

University of Florida Library West
http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/construction/feb_05/photos.html

Largo Library
http://www.largo.com/department/?fDD=11-0