Stanford University, Bing Library

About This Project

Bing Wing of Green Library Historic/Seismic Renovation

Location: Stanford, California

Architects: Fields & Deveraux

Contractors: L. Barnes

About the Client: Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Stanford University is recognized as one of the world’s leading research and teaching institutions.

Project Description: Originally constructed in 1919 and designed by Bakewell & Brown, Green Library stands as one of the oldest structures on the Stanford University campus. Heavily damaged during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the building required seismic reconstruction of its existing steel structure while maintaining its original historical character. The library houses over 678,000 volumes, many of which date back to the late 1800s. The building includes 5 levels of administrative offices, book storage and intimate reading spaces, as well as multimedia conference rooms. In addition, the basement was retrofitted to house the library’s most precious collectibles. The total project included approximately 175,000 square feet of historical renovation space valued at $53 million. The renovation transformed this 80-year-old facility into a state-of-the-art library, while preserving its historic, Romanesque architectural theme.

Nova Partners’ Role: Nova Partners provided construction management services throughout the project, including managing the overall project budget. In addition, Nova was responsible for managing the fit-up of the interior spaces, including the procurement of the interior furnishings.

From the Client: Nova Partners was retained as our construction manager to manage the overall project, including the fit-up and activation of the library. Nova’s role was to assure that the project would be completed at the levels of quality, cost, and schedule per the high demands that this state-of-the-art facility and Stanford required. The project had serious budget and contractor problems that arose from my predecessors structure of the contracts. Nova successfully redirected the contractor and architect toward a satisfactory completion in spite of many serious problems that preceded Nova’s involvement. We appreciate Novas hard work to tame one of our most difficult projects. The successful completion of Green Library could not have happened without Nova’s efforts.

— Michael Rosenthal, Associate Vice Provost, Stanford University

Category
Education, Institutional