Jacksonville Public Library
As part of The Better Jacksonville Plan, a 30-year, $2.25B blueprint for comprehensive growth, the city sought to replace the Hayden Burns “Old” Main Library, which had become too small to house its collection and offered inadequate electrical wiring that limited the number of public computers.
| Client | City of Jacksonville |
|---|---|
| Architects: | Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA) and Rolland, DelValle & Bradley |
| Size | 5 Stories | 330,000 SF (30,658 SM) |
| Office: | Miami |
| Completion: | 2004 |
Situated downtown among Jacksonville’s classically inspired, centuries-old civic buildings, the new Main Library is a highly efficient, state-of-the-art facility designed to accommodate the city’s evolving needs. Tripling the size of the city’s previous facility, the building now comfortably houses a 2.2 million book collection, and offers a grand reading room, 400-seat auditorium, multi-purpose room, 600-car garage, and other amenities.
Unique site conditions challenged DeSimone’s structural engineers. To address dramatic changes in elevation and the local sand’s relatively low bearing capacity, we integrated large, stepped footings to support and stabilize the structure across the site. Our team also devised a superstructure featuring a flat slab system with drop panels to maximize support by transferring loads to reinforced concrete columns and shear walls, in turn supported by the building’s spread footings. Spandrel beams added along the building perimeter stiffen the slab edge and support the heavy, pre-cast facade loads.
