While the academic community debates whether or not books have any future in light of the rapid development of digital information technology, libraries are getting ready for the future by making changes to the very buildings they call home. Atlanta’s newly built Metropolitan Library, which is a southside branch library of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System, includes a raised access floor as part of its innovative design.

Raised Floor Basics

What does a raised floor have to do with getting ready for the digital revolution? A raised access floor is an elevated structural floor above the solid substrate that creates space for mechanical and electrical systems. The Metropolitan Library’s raised floor is 18 inches high, and consists of a flat steel top and a profiled steel base, which are welded together to form a shell and filled with a cementitious core material.

Winter Johnson Group used building information modeling to assist in the preparation and installation of the Library’s raised floor.

Located in the space created below the raised floor, mechanical and electrical systems can perform efficiently.The mechanical system is highly accessible by the building’s users, who can reach and control conditioning vents to improve occupant comfort. The Metropolitan Library’s interior has a very open floor plan, a type of space that creates large, stratified air distributions. Warm air rises and collects near the ceiling, while cool air sinks and collects near the floor, closer to where the occupants are. By locating the air system under the floor, the design takes advantage of air stratification. When warm air is needed, the air system supplies warm air directly to where the occupants are. When cool air is needed, less propulsion of the air is needed to reach the occupants and replenish the cooled area.

Advancing the Library’s Mission

So how does the Metropolitan Library’s raised access floor help to advance the Library’s mission to keep up with ongoing digital innovations? According to the Library’s designer, Smith Dalia Architects, the library program specifically required a plan for accommodating a 10 percent user-growth factor in the new branch library. The best solution for growth was to capitalize on the technological innovations related to library services. Library planners predict that over time, less and less floor space will be allocated for books and paper-based media.

The Library’s design takes advantage of the open space around the ceiling, since conduit and electrical elements are below the floor.

The floor space that is opened up by the transition to a paperless environment can accommodate more users who will utilize “virtual” library collections. In order to maximize the impact of this trend, the raised access flooring (in combination with a very open floor plan) allows for endless reconfiguration of library program elements. The library can easily move furniture and change the placement of library casework. There is no need to move vents or ducts as the library changes its layout. By removing a few floor tiles, certain sections of the floor are accessible and air flow can be redirected to accommodate any area.

Smith Dalia naturally took advantage of the open space around the ceiling at Metropolitan Library, since conduit and electrical elements are located below the floor. The interior feels spacious and full of natural light, with joyful points of color in the pendant light fixtures. The raised access flooring system also provides designers with great flexibility in floor coverings, since it can accommodate a broad range of options, including carpet, laminate, and wood. For the Metropolitan Library, the designers used carpet for the majority of the public areas to create a quiet environment.

Innovations and Problem-Solving

During Winter Johnson Group’s construction of Metropolitan Library, the raised access flooring system presented concern because, once the mechanical system was installed under the floor, its position there made it vulnerable to the dust created by the constant travel of trade workers in and out of the building. The intensely dusty environment could have jeopardized the functioning of the HVAC and could have thereby delayed dry-in. Winter sought solutions for reducing the dust, and, among other things, decided to prioritize the pouring of the entrance slab. Once hardening of the entrance was complete, Winter required all foot traffic to enter the building by that main entrance.

When Winter Johnson Group completed construction, Fulton County, and the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System could justifiably claim that their new and innovative branch library would be the envy of other branch libraries everywhere.

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A school renovation has a hard deadline. A perfect learning environment for staff and students needs to be in place well before the first bell of the school year rings. To bring the project together on time, only the highest quality communication and service from a contractor will suffice.

Here is a checklist of best practices that your contractor should follow:

1. Set clear milestones. The contractor should provide a clear project communication document that details everything owners, teachers, and support staff need to know about the completion schedule, in language that’s approachable and comprehensible to everyone. It’s not enough for contractors to hand out a technical construction schedule and expect all teachers, principals, and other interested parties to decipher it. After all, they’re not the construction experts.Look for a contractor who will provide you with a clear timeline – in layman’s terms – indicating major project milestones. If the projected turnaround time sounds too good to be true, it likely is. Ask in advance about the contractor’s history of meeting deadlines, and don’t be afraid to request references who can back up those success stories.
2. Schedule building inspections as early as possible. An experienced contractor knows to schedule building inspections early. From the first day on the project, they should be reaching out to their connections and scheduling inspection visits for each critical move-in activity: when furniture is delivered, when teachers return, and finally, before your students arrive. Jurisdictions differ on their requirements but most will work with a contractor to provide sign-off for these and other interim milestones. Your contractor should be in communication with the building inspector from the outset about these timeline expectations.
3. Give staff time to learn. Finishing a renovation the day before school starts isn’t good enough. It needs to be completed at least six weeks in advance so that everyone – from teachers to cafeteria workers to IT support staff – has time to learn how to use the new equipment. You don’t want to be faced with 2,000 hungry school children while the cafeteria staff figures out how to work the new ovens.
4. Provide sufficient training. Although it is standard practice to provide operation and maintenance (O&M) manuals to property users after a renovation, an experienced contractor will provide them well before handing over the keys to the school. At the very least it’s important to have the manuals before the school reopens. Once occupied, there should be no questions about how to operate the HVAC system or clean the carpets. Receiving operations manuals two or more months after the school is turned over creates unnecessary stress for maintenance staff, can allow improper cleaning to occur on sensitive finishes, and can even delay scheduled maintenance on important equipment.
5. Provide a tour of the facility. School administrators need to feel comfortable in the new space. Though it’s the contractor’s prerogative to offer a site tour, a quality contractor won’t miss the chance to conduct a tour at the earliest opportunity. Tours give everyone the opportunity to ask questions and offer input. To go above and beyond, contractors can arrange to have someone on call to speak with stakeholders after the tour is over.
6. Provide staff to supervise movers and deliveries. Teachers can’t help but accumulate piles of educational materials for their classrooms. A good contractor will be able to recommend reliable movers and delivery companies to help with the transition into the new facility; the best will ensure that people are on hand to help with installing and setting up furniture and fixtures. This helps speed up the process and ensures that everything is exactly where school staff need it to be. Top contractors will even provide personnel to oversee the movers and make sure they have access to the building.
7. Make time for communications installations. Communications installations (daily bells, phones, and computers) should be included in the contractor’s schedule. He or she must ensure that rooms are ready for telecom providers to install computers, phones, and other audio visual equipment well in advance. Delays aren’t an option. Staff needs to know how to work the bell system, activate fire alarms, and access WiFi well before the first student arrives.
8. Make sure it’s as clean as possible. It’s one thing to clean up a site before the users occupy it; it’s another thing entirely to make sure it’s spotless once everything has been installed, turned on, and tested. Top quality contractors will provide an additional cleaning service following move-in to ensure the school sparkles from day one.

School renovations face tight turnaround times and budgets. A seasoned contractor will keep the lines of communication and collaboration open so that the end product satisfies owners, stakeholders, and students alike.

The post A Lesson In School Renovation appeared first on Winter Construction.

Construction projects can get messy. Building materials, dust, tools: All of these things are required in order to get the job done, but they can also be sources of clutter and potential job site hazards. Safety is always a top priority, and a clean job site is an essential part of ensuring it. A clean job site is important when working on any project — but it’s especially crucial on K-12 education projects, particularly when classes are in session.

1. In-Progress Cleanup

Because of the inherent nature of construction, if cleanup is neglected the job site can quickly become a hazard zone. Nails, screws, sharp tools, cement dust: These are only a few of the things must be carefully controlled on projects that are carried out in close proximity to students. Every job site should have strict cleanup protocols that include at least three tiers:

• Scope-specific Cleanup
  • Every subcontractor on-site is expected to clean up their work area before moving on to a new one.
• A Designated Laborer for General Cleanup
  • Every site should have a designated employee who is responsible for taking care of general cleanup that is not scope-specific and thus not managed by the crews. This includes, for example, dust control.
• Superintendent Supervision
  • The superintendent walks his or her site regularly in order to ensure that the safety and cleanliness standards are.

2. Clean Materials

A clean job site is one that is free from construction hazards and one that leaves behind clean, safe air. Building materials such as certain paints and caulks, may give off harmful fumes from VOCs, which can linger in the air for as long as six to 12 months. If schools are constructed with certain hazardous materials, the environment may cause sick-building syndrome in its new inhabitants – our children.

• • Before utilizing any building material, the general contractor should review all product data to ensure it meets Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) requirements to maintain suitable indoor air quality (IAQ).

• Indoor air quality standards are set by LEED, and many schools that are not LEED-certified choose to adhere to these standards anyhow to protect the health of their students, faculty and staff.

3. Post-Construction Cleanup

Although delivering a clean building begins during the construction process, it continues to the very last stage: the final cleanup.

Before a finished project is turned over to its owner, the general contractor must either perform or hire specialists to do a thorough final cleanup. This process not only ensures that all construction materials and dust are swept up, but that all requirements for final use are met. For example, Atlanta Public Schools require eight coats of wax to be applied to all school floors before newly constructed or renovated spaces are opened to staff and students. In this case, waxing the floors takes place as part of the final cleanup. Only cleaning products and techniques that are compatible with those that will be used in the ongoing maintenance of the building should be used at this stage.

A clean job site means a site that is safe during construction, and safe for those who will use the building after construction is complete. Safety is always a top priority, as is delivering a quality product. Keeping the site – and the air – clean is of the utmost importance.

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