- Provides the city with a classically inspired, highly efficient, state-of-the-art facility accommodating Jacksonville’s evolving needs
- Consists of five floors and contains over 330,000 sf of space
- Accommodates the library’s 2.2 million book collection, as well as a grand reading room, a 400-seat auditorium, a multi-purpose room, a café, a bookstore, and a garage
- Dramatic changes in elevation combined with the local sands relatively low bearing capacity necessitated using large stepped footings throughout the site
- The superstructure uses a flat slab system with drop panels
- The slabs transfer loads to reinforced concrete columns and shear walls, supported on the building’s spread footings
- Spandrel beams are located along the building perimeter to stiffen the slab edge, and support the heavy pre-cast façade loads
- A vulnerability assessment was conducted based upon the national GSA blast criteria, due to the library’s proximity to the federal courthouse
- Awards:
ACEC New York – Gold Award, Structural Systems 2006
ACI Florida Chapter – Significant Concrete Structure 2005
Southeast Construction – Best Public Building, Concrete Building 2006