ABOUT THE LIBRARY
Central Library Construction Proceeds Rapidly on Major Project Components
March 30, 2006
The Central Library Transformation Project includes the new six-story glass and steel-framed addition, a connecting Atrium, and renovations to the history 1917 Cret Building.
Notable progress has been made toward completion this year of key construction milestones in the Central Library Transformation Project downtown.
Most apparent is the initial installation of glass paneling on the southwest corner of the six-story addition, which will house a majority of Central Library’s collection of materials and provide a technologically-rich environment for the lifelong learning needs of all patrons. A total of 300 glass panels will form the curtain wall of the north and south sides of the addition.
Each panel, approximately 11 feet wide and 17 feet tall on the first five floors of the addition and 25 feet tall on the sixth, is manufactured to fit exactly along the curvature of the building.
On the east and west ends of the addition, metal framing and yellow surface panels have been installed in preparation for the installation of stainless steel end panels this spring.
While the public can view construction activity outside the building, similar progress is occurring inside with rough-in work underway for the building’s mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. Steel frames are now in place for buildings five sets of escalators. And a modified bitumen roof, providing a tough membrane to protect the top of the building, has been installed.
Meanwhile, steel construction has been completed on the 12-thousand-square foot Atrium that connects the six-story addition to the historic 1917 Cret Building. The glass-enclosed Atrium, adorned with tall steel arches, will serve as the hub of the new Central Library and house the information and circulation desks, automated catalogs and exhibition areas.
Most of the renovation within the Cret Building has been substantially completed. Remaining work, such as installation of carpeting and ceiling tiles and finishing mechanical and plumbing systems, is dependent upon completion of the remainder of the transformation project. The Cret Building will hold much of the Library’s collection of popular fiction materials, house various administrative offices and provide expanded reading areas for the public.
Work continues on analysis and repair of concrete deficiencies in the two-story underground parking garage below the addition.
The Central Library Transformation Project is funded through a public-private partnership with the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library Foundation, which has generated $43 million in philanthropic support from the community.
