University Libraries Renovations

The contractors are finishing up  the final details for the first floor restrooms and the nursing mothers room, and anticipate that they will be cleaned, certified by all the necessary agencies and officials, and turned over to us for use by the end of next week, possibly sooner! 

The tile and other finishes in the restrooms are the ones that were selected by popular vote last year.  They look great!  One slight disappointment is that the hot water that will eventually be available in all restrooms, will not be connected to the restrooms until all the restroom renovations have been completed.  The source of the hot water is on the 6^th floor of this building, and the piping will not be connected to it until the end of the project.  We will not have hot water in the first floor restrooms on opening day, but don’t despair, we will get hot water at the end of the project! 

After the first floor restroom is turned over to us, the contractors will build a construction partition on 2M and will begin work in those restrooms.

We anticipate that the 2^nd floor restrooms will be completed in mid-November.  The second floor meeting rooms (the bump has been removed),  the Circulation Desk and adjacent areas, should be completed by then as well.  When the 2^nd floor restrooms are completed, the renovation work will move up to the 3^rd floor restrooms.  Thank you again for your cooperation and team spirit throughout this project.

You will begin to see some big changes next week on the first floor of Gorgas.  The construction barrier around the restroom area is scheduled to be taken down.  Then, ceiling tiles and carpet will be put back into place and the walls will receive final touch-up paint.  A new water fountain (with bottle-filler and filter) will be installed.  The first floor restroom is scheduled to be open and back on line before the end of September.  There will also be a Nursing Mothers Room adjacent to the first floor restrooms that will become available when the work in that area has been completed.   

Gorgas 205 continues to move along on schedule.  That space is scheduled to be completed by November 15. 

Along with the good news comes the dreadful sound of the saw-cutting in the elevator shaft.  What you have been hearing for the past few days is the very noisy process of saw-cutting the edges around the existing elevator shaft in order to get ready for installation of the new shaft and new elevator car.  The work is progressing slowly upward through the building, but should be completed before the end of September. 

Once the restrooms on first floor have been inspected and turned over to us for use, the contractor will begin work in the restrooms on 2M. 

The restroom on second floor is expected to be completed in early November.  Once that restroom is turned over to us, the work in the restrooms on 3^rd floor will begin. 

Check out the posts below and the photo gallery page to see progress and updates to the Gorgas Library renovation project.

After being closed all summer for renovations, Java City is back and better than ever! You’ll notice many changes and even new food items! There is a touchscreen point of sale register where you will place your coffee order and/or scan your food and drink . No more long lines!

JavaCity is almost ready to open for customers.  There will be a soft opening on Thursday (Aug 22), and JavaCity will be operating on a regular schedule after that time.

The Music Library can now be accessed through the double doors in Java City. 

The south stairwells between first and second floors are open and available for use again.  All doors into 102 are now open, including the doors into the south hallway that connect JavaCity and the west wing.  Computer labs in 104A and 204F are open and available for use.  Students will be able to access 204F, and study rooms and workspaces in 200, by taking a sharp turn to the right after exiting the elevator on second floor, and then “Follow the Yellow Brick Road”. 

Restrooms are available on 2M, 3, and 4M for the public areas and restrooms on 4^th floor are available for library faculty, staff, and invited guests. 

UAF:

The construction project at the University Archive Facility is moving along and is close to being on schedule.  We still anticipate that the building will be completed in late fall of 2019.  A reconfiguration of the existing janitor’s closet and restroom in the Annex are part of the construction plan because the changes were required by code.  This part of the project has been inside the current building and has created a lot of commotion, but should be completed by the end of August.  There will be a scheduled water outage at the Annex tomorrow so that the contractor can make a new connection to the old sprinkler system in the building.  A new pump that will regulate the pressure in the existing fire suppression system will be installed.  Orders for the compact moveable shelving and the Raymon lift are being finalized.  The Raymon lift will be used to pick items from the compact moveable shelve in the UAF.  The shelving in the Special Collections area of the UAF will be 24 feet tall.  In the General Collections area, there are plans to install shelving that will be various heights, with the tallest sections measuring 18 feet tall.    

JavaCity:

The JavaCity construction project is nearing completion.  The ceilings, walls, and floors have been replaced and the whole area looks fresh and bright. New plumbing and drains have been installed, as well as new countertops.  Electrical and data lines have been installed to accommodate new points of sale kiosks as well as other functions in the space.  The moveable security gate is in place and the millwork for the JavaCity service counter and work space is scheduled to be installed on August 8.  JavaCity is expected to be fully operational when classes begin on August 21.

Second Floor Meeting Room Project:

A lot of progress has been made in the renovation of 205C and 205 to create a multi-use space for meetings and events.  Sheetrock is going up, as well as celling grids.  Wall partitions and door openings have been framed for the new storage area and catering area, as well as the new entrance into the north side of the room.  This week, the track for the moveable wall will be installed.  Backing for the video wall has been installed in each of the two areas and electrical and data lines have been routed around the room.  This project is on track to be completed in November, 2019.

Restrooms and Adjacent Areas Project:

Work on the first floor restroom has gained momentum and should be complete by the middle of September.  The second floor restroom is also moving along according to schedule and should be turned back over to us in October/early November.  The Circulation Desk on second floor has been removed, and the tile and ceilings in that area and to the right and left of the Circulation Desk have been removed.  New ceiling grid, ceiling tiles and lights are being installed in those areas.  Behind the Circulation Desk, the storage area for equipment will be revamped to provide more efficient storage space for cameras, laptops, and other equipment  circulated from the Circulation Desk.  The second floor elevator lobby will be refreshed with a new coat of paint, new floors and a new ceiling. A new water fountain, equipped with water bottle filler,  will be installed in that foyer.  All water fountains that are currently located in elevator lobbies will be replaced with new water fountains that are equipped with water bottle fillers.  Access to all materials and all study rooms remains open.  The Circulation Desk is operating from a temporary location on the second floor of Gorgas Library in Pearce Foyer.

The schedule for the restrooms has been revised and the completion date for the restrooms will be June/July 2020.  I will get a revised schedule to you very soon so that you will know when the work will be done on the floor where you work.  The contractor anticipates being able to pick up the pace as they move through the building, but the demolition work is very tedious and slow due to the extremely sturdy construction techniques that were used when the existing spaces were built.  The first floor restroom presented many unexpected issues that were not shown in the drawings from the original construction of that area (i.e.,  depth of slab that had to be cut was 10” instead of 4”).  As we move upward through the building, we will have a plan for how your space will be affected and will share that with you. 

Elevator Project:

The installation of the new staff elevator is moving forward at what seems to be a snail’s pace.  Demolition in the old shaft is complete.  This week, you will be aware of the work that will be going on in the basement.  The foundation for the new elevator machine room will be constructed over the next week or so.  In order to do that, the existing foundation in that area will have to be saw-cut and the debris will be carried out.  Then the space will be back-filled and a new foundation will be poured.  This will create the base for the elevator machinery.  The completion date for the staff elevator is estimated to be in late January/February, 2020.  Once the staff elevator is operational, one of the passenger elevators will be taken off-line and the replacement of that car and controls will begin.  Then, when that passenger elevator is operational, the other passenger elevator will be taken off-line for the same type of work.  The shaft for the passenger elevators will not have to be altered, which should allow this project to move forward more quickly than the staff elevator, and without so much dust and noise.  This project is scheduled to be completed by the end of July 2020. 

10:48 a.m. UPDATE: Water and air conditioning are back up!

Monday, July 22 from 6:00-9:00 AM- water shutdown throughout Gorgas

Restrooms will be unavailable during this time. The restroom trailer will be available outside on Capstone Drive.

We’re in the eleventh week of renovations and things are moving along great!

There are currently three separate renovation projects going on simultaneously in Gorgas Library.  They are the Gorgas Core Support Project (Elevators and Restrooms Project), the Second Floor Meeting Rooms Project, and the JavaCity Project.  Here are some brief updates on each of those projects.

Gorgas Core Support Project:

          Elevators

• Demolition of the staff elevator shaft is complete, but it is possible that the shaft will need to be enlarge an additional 2.5 inches to the north of the existing staff.  That decision will be finalized this week.  The next step will be to install the steel supports for the elevator shaft which will involve bringing in large steel beams, inserting them into the shaft, and welding them together on site.  The welders will be using all required precautions during this process and are required to use high velocity exhaust fans in order to minimize odors from the shaft.  Once the support system is in place, installation of the car and equipment will begin.  The staff elevator renovation should be complete and it should be operational in January/February, 2020.  This completion date is behind schedule due to the many complications the building has presented to the contractor during the demolition process. 
• Once the staff elevator renovation is complete and that elevator is fully functional, all floors and spaces within Gorgas Library will be assigned a new number.  Renumbering all floors and rooms will require us to carefully consider all publications, instructions, and websites that include information about locations that will need to be changed.  The architect is going to provide a form that can be used to facilitate the room and floor re-numbering transition.  The form will list old room numbers and corresponding new room numbers.  As soon as I have this information, I will share it with everyone.
• After the staff elevator project is complete, renovation of one of the passenger elevators will begin.  After that project is complete, the other passenger elevator will be renovated.  The elevator project is expected to be completed by the end of next summer (2020). 

     Restrooms

• Demolition of the first floor restroom is complete and that restroom has been changed over to the new plumbing system.  Currently, the anticipated completion date for the first floor restroom is mid to late August. 
• Demolition is underway in the second floor restroom.  The work in the second floor restroom will not be as complicated as the work was on first floor and should not take as long to complete.  In addition to the work on the restroom on second floor, the elevator lobby, and Circulation Services Desk will also be renovated.  The Circulation Desk has been temporarily relocated to the Pearce Foyer and will remain there until the work has been completed in the second floor lobby and restroom areas. 

Second Floor Meeting Rooms Project:

• Demolition work in Gorgas 205 and 205C is complete. The ceiling grid has been installed, and conduit is being installed for electrical and data lines.  The locations for the two video walls have been finalized so that prep work can begin for the installation of those two systems. 
• The work for the Meeting Rooms Project is on schedule and the anticipated completion date is November 1, 2019.

JavaCity Project:

• The JavaCity Project is scheduled for completion by August 15.  New sheetrock has been installed, new ceiling grids have been put into place, the plumbing is complete, and everything is in place for the new kiosk that will be provided by a third-party vendor.  The plan includes two self-service sales points for “grab and go” items, and a check out point for custom drink orders.  This arrangement should eliminate the long lines that we previously experienced in JavaCity.  Once JavaCity reopens, they will offer an expanded menu with more food options. 

Construction of the University Archive Facility is currently on schedule and is expected to be completed by late fall, 2019. 

Here are a few updates on the UAF construction project:

• The restroom in the current Annex building is being renovated, so the staff there have been in the midst of a noisy, messy process.  The contractors have declared that the Annex staff  are “real troopers” as they have endured saw-cutting and other loud noises, and continuous movement in and out of their work space.  When I was there, a wheelbarrow loaded with wet concrete was being transported into the restroom via the front door and office space.  The good news is that the slab has been re-poured which should mean that some of the noisy and dusty work inside their work space will subside. The work on the restroom is required in order to meet building codes and ADA standards. They do have a restroom trailer, but that is not real convenient on a rainy day.  
• A crew from the Patterson Pope office in Wisconsin (compact, moveable shelving vendor) was on site last week to confirm interior measurements of the new building to ensure that the shelving will fit into the structure as planned. 
• Documents for the fire suppression system are in the process of being routed through all of the necessary stops for review and final approval.
• Electrical and mechanical systems are being installed.
• The equipment that will be used to access materials on the shelving has been selected and is the process of being purchased.