Woolpert Providing Engineering Services for Dayton Metro Library Project
DAYTON, Ohio (PRWEB) September 21, 2016 -- The Dayton Metro Library has contracted with Woolpert to provide engineering services for several branches—Miamisburg, West Carrollton, West and Southeast—as part of the library’s comprehensive facilities upgrade.
The upgrade, made possible by a $187 million bond levy passed in 2012, intends to transition the facilities from the traditional “books and bricks” libraries to modern community centers with cutting-edge technology.
“They’re redefining libraries and building on the widely held belief that a community with a library grows, excels and prospers,” said Rich Simpkins, Woolpert engineering team leader. “This retooling will take them away from the textbook and make these libraries modern media centers that encourage collaboration.”
For the Miamisburg Branch, Woolpert is providing structural and civil engineering, as well as mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP).
“We’ve utilized 3D BIM (Business Information Modeling) in Revit (software), to make the project accessible from a communication standpoint,” Simpkins said. “It was fully coordinated in-house. It is our understanding that this branch also has been one of the first libraries to be tracking on budget, with very few changes to the design.”
Woolpert is in the initial stages of structural and MEP engineering for the West Carrollton and Southeast branches, and the initial stages of structural and civil engineering for the West Branch.
As this phased work continues, there is the possibility of more collaboration as this upgrade progresses. The library is consolidating its 20 branches into 16.
Woolpert is a national architecture, engineering and geospatial firm, headquartered in Dayton.
The Dayton Design Collaborative (DDC) is a partnership between LWC Inc., Levin Porter and Ruetschle, and they are the lead architects for the Dayton Metro Library projects.
John Fabelo, a partner at LWC working on the Main Library Branch downtown, cited the regional importance of this project.
“We are aware that what we are working on is a building that will make a difference on our community; this will change lives,” Fabelo said. “We all take for granted our access to books and ideas, but part of our community doesn’t have this opportunity. This will provide that opportunity.”
Woolpert is working with Levin Porter on the Miamisburg Branch and with LWC on the West Branch, and is continuing to bolster its engineering portfolio with other local architects. Recent collaborations have included work with KZF Design on the University of Cincinnati College of Business, with MODA4 Design for the North Village Restaurant at the Fuyao Glass America plant and with BHDP Architecture for the renovation of Kettering Tower to house CareSource.
Simpkins said Woolpert wants to become more involved with its local communities and is striving to be the engineer of choice for area design firms.
“Our group here in Dayton has truly enjoyed working on projects that they can physically see coming out of the ground, and we love being a part of projects that will be as embraced in their communities as these libraries,” Simpkins said. “From a morale and community involvement standpoint, architects and engineers are looked up to in the community for making that community better. Molding and forming the areas in which we live is what we want to do, and we’re getting back to that.”
The Miamisburg Branch is set to open Jan. 2, while the West Carrollton, West and Southeast branches are slated to open between July and October 2018.
About Woolpert
Woolpert is a national architecture, engineering and geospatial (AEG) firm that delivers value to clients by strategically blending engineering excellence with leading-edge technology and geospatial applications. With a dynamic R&D department, Woolpert works with inventive business partners like Google; operates a fleet of planes, sensors and unmanned aerial systems (UAS); and continually pushes industry boundaries by working with advanced water technologies, asset management, Building Information Modeling (BIM) and sustainable design. Woolpert’s mission is to help its clients progress—and become more progressive. For over 100 years and with 23 offices across the United States, Woolpert serves the needs of federal, state and local governments; private and public companies and universities; energy and transportation departments; and the United States Armed Forces. The firm currently is doing business in all 50 states and in five foreign countries. For more information, visit woolpert.com or call 937-531-1258.
Jill Kelley, Woolpert, http://Woolpert.com, +1 (937) 531-1258, [email protected]
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