Seattle Central Library, Seattle, WA
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Seattle Central Library
Seattle, WA
Glazing Subconsultant:
Walters & Wolf Curtain Wall,
Seattle, WA.
Architect:
Office for Metropolitan Architecture & LMN Architects,
Seattle, WA.
On Nov. 3, 1998, Seattle voters overwhelmingly approved the $196.4 million “Libraries for All” bond measure to upgrade The Seattle Public Library with new facilities, technology, and books. The bond measure, used only for construction of libraries, paid for improvements to all 22 branches, five new branches and the new central library.
The preliminary design for Seattle Public Library’s Central Library was presented in December ‘99, a project 8 years in the making, and piloted by a joint venture design team from the Office for Metropolitan Architecture & LMN Architects (OMA/LMN). OMA/LMN had an international reputation for creating architecture based on the functions and expectations for services delivered in a building.
The top of the curtain wall was a totally integrated structure designed and developed by a firm from Germany. WS provided an initial evaluation of the drawings to assess structural needs on the bottom storefront curtainwall, the bottom 12’ which extended 30’ around the building, in order to assist Walters & Wolf in their proposal. WS then provided structural engineering evaluation, and design input for the storefront curtainwall system components. There was one elevation that contained a small aluminum framing screwed continuously into other steel beams that sloped outward, that provided some interesting challenges.
As this was an enormous and expensive structure, there was much local publicity, media coverage and public scrutiny surrounding the safety and structural soundness of such a structure, as well as it’s earthquake-proof ability. In addition, there was public scrutiny about the teams ability to keep the project within the budget. An entire website was devoted to the Central Library project, and up-to-date issues were consistently addressed.
This building serves as another positive measure of WS's success with Walters and Wolf and in providing relevant and value-based engineering services to glazing sub consultants.
