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The space outside Suzzallo that was designated for construction was chosen because of access to the site and because it is at the lowest point of the building. The University chose the least "destructive" option available, given the magnitude and the life-safety importance of the Suzzallo seismic upgrade. There were options that would have been cheaper--loss of more landscape, larger laydown areas--but they would have been the "destructive" ones. (The laydown area is the staging area that the contractor(s) needs in order to demolish and stock the building. The contractor has to be able to locate the dumpsters there, to unload trucks prior to the materials going into the building, to store and/or move the heavy equipment around, to locate the tool storage containers and portable toilets, and to build any scaffolding/stairways/loading ramps necessary to get materials and equipment into the work area.)
The mobilization/laydown area is extremely small for a project of this size and complexity. The area is a combination delivery, staging, and laydown area. The Suzzallo laydown area is 16,425 square feet, in comparison to the laydown for Mary Gates Hall, which was over 47,000 square feet.
A great deal of thought and planning went into exactly how and where the hundreds of tons of steel, concrete, electrical switchgear, mechanical elements and finish materials will be fabricated, trucked, staged, unloaded and moved into the several Suzzallo buildings.
There will be one contractor office trailer in the southwest corner, appropriate places for tool and equipment storage, places for dumpsters, and room for truck movement and unloading. Also, there will be several subcontractor trailers within the construction fence at the east end of Red Square. The entire exterior fenced area will be kept as clean and as presentable as possible, but it will be a construction zone for the duration of the project.
The mobilization/laydown space was paved in order to gain efficiency of space and to prevent mud in winter and dust in summer.
The "decision makers" who determine which trees are saved are the members of the campus Landscape Advisory Committee, a group of 15 staff, faculty, and students who serve because they care about the campus landscape.
All during the planning for the preparation of the construction area, the Landscape Advisory Committee, UW Capital Projects, the design team for the Suzzallo Project, and the contractor have given a great deal of thought and care to the issue of which trees to save and which to remove during construction.
The large elm that came down had several of its main branches cabled together as a safety measure a decade ago when it was discovered to be in a deteriorating condition--it had to come down, and very soon. All of the trees which were removed had either root problems or in the case of the big elm, branching problems.
The hisakura japanese cherries were very carefully prepared for this construction to reduce impact as they are the only ones on campus and are extremely rare. The incense cedar at the juncture of the 1935 building and the 1963 wing, has been protected before, when the Allen Library was built, and it is protected now. The elm near the Allen Library arcade is protected, as well as the deodar cedar (in the lozenge-shaped raised planter.) Both are healthy specimens.
The efforts of the UW construction coordinator, the Landscape Advisory Committee, and the contractor were combined to save the lovely smoke bush tucked into the southwest corner of the 1935 building, long after the project design was complete.
At the conclusion of the construction, the asphalt will be removed, the grounds around Suzzallo will be completely re-landscaped and the plantings and trees replaced.
The two architectural firms hired to work on the Suzzallo Project are very concerned about the historical nature of the building. Every effort is being made to retain the architectural features of the oldest sections (1925 and 1935). Therefore, other than the fact that the exterior brick and stone will be cleaned of moss, dirt, and mildew, the appearance should remain the same for these sections.
In the case of the 1963 section of the Suzzallo building, the seismic bracing will be visible at each corner. The bracing will be placed vertically, from its anchoring below ground level up to the 5th floor of this section. On all floors except the ground, the bracing will be located just inside the windows. On the ground floor, because of the overhang, the bracing is on the exterior of the building.
Within the Suzzallo Library, the appearance of the historic Reading Room will remain the same. The necessary structural work involves the temporary removal of some of the carved wooden bookcases and the stone cladding in the Reading Room during renovation, but these elements will be replaced with no visible change. The octagon columns on each floor will be tied together with steel bracing (see the map of Suzzallo for the location of the octagon). Structural steel bracing will be visible across the ceiling of the grand stairhall on the third floor of Suzzallo.
Two Northwest architectural firms have been involved in the project since the early design stage.
Mahlum Architects has provided a broad range of architecture, facility planning, and interiors services to the Northwest since 1938. Known for educational, advanced technology, healthcare, hospitality, commercial, corporate headquarters, and performing arts facilities, the firm has been recognized for design excellence with over 100 design awards from local, regional, and national organizations. Based in Seattle, with another office in Portland, Mahlum Architects has current projects covering the western region from Arizona to Alaska.
Cardwell/Thomas & Associates is recognized for excellence in the design of academic and library buildings. Work has included campus planning, the restoration and rehabilitation of historic buildings, and the design of new academic buildings. Academic and public library design experience includes sixteen projects on the West Coast. Additionally, the firm has worked on 17 buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Several of these projects have received local, regional, and national awards for design excellence.
Only State funds were sought by the University for the Suzzallo Library Renovation Project. Generally speaking, on a project such as this one, where an existing University building is being upgraded for seismic and infrastructure reasons and there is no new building or addition, donors are not likely to be interested in contributing funding. Instead, this type of renovation is seen primarily as the responsibility of the State.
When the University first requested construction funding for the Suzzallo Renovation Project from the Legislature for the 1997-99 biennium, the estimated cost was $36 million. The delay in the Project increased the estimated cost, due to a combination of inflation and the extremely active construction environment in the region. Based on its best calculations and on conversations with the project architects and the contractor, the UW went to the Legislature with a capital request totaling $44.6 million for the 1999-2001 biennium. The Legislature appropriated construction funding to total only $42.6 million.
In addition to the actual construction costs, there will be expenses incurred in moving collections, service desks, study furniture, and staff out of the construction areas and then back into the completed sections of the library as the project proceeds.
We are taking advantage of the work that must be done to accomplish the seismic and fire safety upgrade, which involves the tearing out and replacing of walls and floors. It makes sense to move service units such as Reference and Circulation to a better location at this time, since the cost is the same, no matter which unit is moved back to the renovated space. In addition, in areas where we cannot put stacks, such as the 1935 section, we will create group study rooms and reading areas for students.
The UW Capital Projects Office has determined that only 2 - 3 % of the cost of the project is due to program and other improvements. The balance (97 - 98%) of the cost is for the seismic, fire, life-safety, energy and indoor air quality, and exterior renovation.
The Suzzallo Library houses over a dozen public service points as well as the major cataloging and processing units for the University Libraries. Over 165 Libraries staff work in Suzzallo. There are many hundreds of thousands of volumes of books and periodicals housed in the Suzzallo Library. The various study areas in Suzzallo accommodate thousands of students daily. Because the Suzzallo building will continue to be occupied during Renovation, the phasing and scheduling of the construction is extremely complex, much more so than it would be if the building could be vacated totally during Renovation.
The first phase of the construction project is scheduled to be the interior and exterior of the 1925 and 1935 sections. These sections must be completely closed off in order to accomplish the extensive seismic and infrastructure work that is involved. Therefore, all collections, furniture, staff, everything must be moved out of the 1925 and 1935 sections and away from the octagon area before the construction begins. Construction walls will be built to protect the rest of the library from the dust.
The second phase will begin approximately 10 months into the Project, with seismic bracing and other work in the 1963 wing. At this point, library staff and more collections will have to be moved out of the construction zones.
The entire Project is expected to take 24 months.
During the whole process of Renovation, the Libraries staff are committed to maintaining services and access to collections. There will be times when certain portions of the collections will be moved to other areas. Service desks and staff will have to be relocated to other parts of the building or to the Allen Library. Study areas will be compressed, but the Libraries staff are working to provide alternative study areas during the Renovation. The Renovation will be a difficult process for all of us, but at the end, we will have a much safer library building.
Some portions of the collection will be temporarily relocated to other areas within the Suzzallo and Allen Libraries and the Kane Hall Auxiliary Stacks during the renovation process. We will use a combination of signage and extra staffing to help users obtain the books and periodicals they need during the renovation.
During Renovation, the Copy Center will be able to stay open in its current location on the 5th floor of the Suzzallo Library, although it will be compressed, due to the location of the construction walls. After Renovation, the Copy Center will move to the 3rd floor of the Allen Library. The new location will be much more convenient for people using the journals and other periodicals in both the Suzzallo and Allen Libraries. The space on the 5th floor will be converted to library storage and a staff conference room.
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