Originally built in 1933, Baltimore’s Enoch Pratt Free Library/State Library Resource Center (EPFL) has recently undergone a $115 million renovation project. The project’s goals were to prioritize digital fluency, collaboration, learning, and creation.
The 290,000-sf building’s Central Hall was fitted with sound and video projection equipment to transform the space into a “Town Hall.” New spaces such as the Teen Wing, the Creative Arts Center, and the Job and Career Center were adapted within existing areas with a contemporary design language that complements the original interior. New conference rooms, staff offices, and workstations were also created.
Central Hall.
Throughout the building’s interior historic materials and finishes such as plaster, millwork, and terrazzo were restored and decorative metal elements and paintings were brought back to their original state. Fluorescent lighting installed in the 1950s was replaced with energy-efficient lighting but the historic light fixtures in public areas were restored or, in some cases, replicated. MEP and life-safety systems were also replaced and installed in discreet ways that were minimally disruptive to the building.
See Also: St. Louis Community College Center for Nursing and Health Sciences opens to students
The building’s exterior also underwent renovations; the leaking roof was replaced, steel-framed windows were restored, and the limestone walls were cleaned and repointed. Ayers Saint Gross worked with Beyer Blinder Belle on the project.
Related Stories
| Dec 28, 2014
AIA course: Enhancing interior comfort while improving overall building efficacy
Providing more comfortable conditions to building occupants has become a top priority in today’s interior designs. This course is worth 1.0 AIA LU/HSW.
| Nov 10, 2014
Herzog & De Meuron unveils plan for National Library of Israel
The library’s new home will be a completely new building in Jerusalem, and will combine the functions of a central research center, a venue for indoor and outdoor cultural and educational activities, and a place for digital experience.
| Oct 16, 2014
Report: How to keep public libraries relevant in a digital age
Public libraries will avoid being relegated to the scrap heap of history in a digital age as long as they continue to serve as platforms for learning, creativity, and innovation that strengthen their communities, according to a new Aspen Institute report.
| Oct 16, 2014
Perkins+Will white paper examines alternatives to flame retardant building materials
The white paper includes a list of 193 flame retardants, including 29 discovered in building and household products, 50 found in the indoor environment, and 33 in human blood, milk, and tissues.
| Oct 15, 2014
Harvard launches ‘design-centric’ center for green buildings and cities
The impetus behind Harvard's Center for Green Buildings and Cities is what the design school’s dean, Mohsen Mostafavi, describes as a “rapidly urbanizing global economy,” in which cities are building new structures “on a massive scale.”
| Oct 12, 2014
AIA 2030 commitment: Five years on, are we any closer to net-zero?
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the American Institute of Architects’ effort to have architecture firms voluntarily pledge net-zero energy design for all their buildings by 2030.
| Oct 9, 2014
Regulations, demand will accelerate revenue from zero energy buildings, according to study
A new study by Navigant Research projects that public- and private-sector efforts to lower the carbon footprint of new and renovated commercial and residential structures will boost the annual revenue generated by commercial and residential zero energy buildings over the next 20 years by 122.5%, to $1.4 trillion.
| Sep 29, 2014
Snøhetta releases final plan for terraced central library in Calgary
The competition-winning New Central Library is now in the final design stages, after two years of community engagement on the part of design firms Snøhetta and DIALOG.
| Sep 24, 2014
Architecture billings see continued strength, led by institutional sector
On the heels of recording its strongest pace of growth since 2007, there continues to be an increasing level of demand for design services signaled in the latest Architecture Billings Index.
| Sep 22, 2014
4 keys to effective post-occupancy evaluations
Perkins+Will's Janice Barnes covers the four steps that designers should take to create POEs that provide design direction and measure design effectiveness.
