The New Seattle Library

Seattle's Eccentric Book Behemoth (ENR November 3, 2001 cover story) discusses the unique structural system employed in Seattle's new library building, and the challenges entailed in erecting this "eccentric" building. The combination of high profile architecture by designer Rem Koolhaas and unusual construction requirements make this article good reading for students interested in the intersection of design and construction.

Some interesting aspects of this project include:

• The extensive use of skewed and sloping columns to minimize the number of columns and eliminate the need for transfer beams
• A hybrid structural steel/aluminum curtainwall skin that provides the building's seismic lateral bracing
• Multistory structural boxes cantilevered with full height perimeter steel belt trusses
• The use of computational fluid dynamics modeling to size the building's smoke evacuation system
• A unique strategy for unloading steel falsework in a controlled sequence

This article is well-illustrated and also includes an interesting discussion of the problems encountered in coordinating the curtainwall design with final design and fabrication of the steel grid behind it during the construction phase. An unusual set of dependencies between the work of the curtainwall and steel fabricators appear to have been a significant factor in the building finishing behind schedule. In related editorial, A Tight Budget Does Not Mean Cutting Creativity, ENR also reports that the building was constructed for $275 per square foot (including parking), a figure reportedly in line with other comparable city library buildings.