The existing public Library was plagued with dim lighting, obscure corners, and non-compliant fire suppression system. This much-needed renovation to the first floor of the County’s Central Library included structural revisions, new finishes, circulation desks, ceilings, lighting, HVAC, fire suppression upgrades, and new fire alarms. The second floor remained in operation for Library staff members during the construction.
A primary challenge was removing a bearing wall which supported a large chimney structure above the roof-line. Harper & Sons provided design-build shoring services, installed the shoring, and performed the demolition, new foundations, and structural steel revisions to open up the two separate children’s collection areas of the Library.
A challenge was discovered when the new flooring required a super-flat floor slab that could not be achieved with the existing slab. Harper & Sons resolved this issue by introducing a unique cementious underlayment which could bond to the floor slab without risk of delaminating the previous mud-bed. A second phase of the project also replaced slate roofing and modernized the elevator and machine room.
Quick Notes
- Location: Denton, MD
- SF: 11,000
- Design: Gant Brunnett Architects
