Owner: King County Library System
Architect: Lisa Scribante, MITHUN
Civil/Structural Engineers: KPFF
President/CEO: Mark Lewinski
Project Manager: Shane Tapert
Superintendent: Brian Nupren
Project Engineer: Patti Knutson
Estimator: Arne Nielson
ABC members involved in this project:
CHG Building Systems, Inc.
Fardig Development, Inc.
Kibble & Prentice, a USI Company
Propel Insurance
Wrecking Ball Demolition, LLC
The King County Library System addition in Federal Way consisted of a 9,000-square-foot addition, and a remodel to the existing 25,000-square-foot building to create a more inviting and comfortable destination for library patrons.
Kirtley-Cole Associates executed overarching sustainable strategies throughout design and construction, including: minimizing site impacts; keeping the rain water on site; reducing energy load through advanced daylighting strategies that improved building system efficiencies; and creating a healthy indoor environment.
Kirtley-Cole used LEED as a guideline to reduce the library’s carbon footprint to its lowest level possible within the parameters set by King County Library System (KCLS). The project came in under budget, allowing the owner to add to the project scope.
The building is a tri-directionally sloped structure. Kirtley-Cole successfully constructed a curtain wall and roof system that included not a single 90-degree angle vertically or horizontally on the exterior walls or roof by using 3-D modeling and creative survey strategies. Working closely with the entire project team, including subcontractors and designers, the project team ensured the exterior structure came together seamlessly. It was completed within the critical path schedule without rework or modifications.
Rain gardens take advantage of each roof plane of the new addition. Rain is collected on the roof, then flows through downspouts into steel runnels, which transport it along. Rain water is finally discharged to rain gardens through a series of slots in the runnel sides. All of this is visible just feet from the library windows, allowing library visitors to observe the hydrologic processes.
The main challenge in construction of the rain gardens was the fabrication and installation of steel runnels with a specific geometry to create the dramatic transport of water to the gardens.
Kirtley-Cole phased the construction of the exterior walls to allow for building from the deepest point of the site and working clockwise outward to avoid interfering with site vegetation. This necessitated the construction of the entire structure from inside the building footprint. The team constructed the roof structure in a way that allowed the finished edge to actually touch some of the existing trees. Extreme care was taken daily to set up, protect and maintain the existing plant life through the use of structured vegetation safe barriers and constant communication with on-site crews.
The library’s staff and patrons now enjoy an atmosphere where they feel as if they are inside a “lantern in the forest.”
Zero incidents occurred during the 4,615 hours worked on this project.