Seattle Central Library
Team
Architect
OMA/LMN, A Joint Venture; Jones and Jones
Contractor
Hoffman Construction Company
Stats
PROJECT TYPE
Library
COMPLETION
2004
PROJECT SIZE
412,000 ft² / 1 block
MKA ROLE
Structural & Civil Engineer
Seattle, WA
Seattle Central Library
An angular and crystalline presence on the downtown skyline, this 11-level building occupies an entire city block and features a 275-seat auditorium and ample open spaces for meeting, studying, or reading. The architecturally expressive LEED Silver facility’s innovative design incorporates a “Book Spiral” connecting visitors to various collections and library services spread throughout five platforms that cantilever as much as 52 ft to create a visually “floating” effect. Gravity loads are carried by multi-story-deep perimeter platform trusses supported by sloping columns that maximize counterbalancing opportunities. The building’s unique diamond-shaped steel grid resists wind and earthquake loads, interconnects the platform trusses, supports the curtain wall, and serves as an impressive interior. MKA’s full-block civil site design provides storm drain control, off-site frontage improvements for four adjacent street right-of-ways, erosion and sediment control, and an irrigation system utilizing rainwater collected on-site. 
Seattle Central Library
Awards
Award of Honor - 2005 Region Design Awards - American Institute of Architects - Northwest and Pacific Chapter
Award of Merit, Not Yet Built - Honor Awards for Washington Architecture - American Institute of Architects - Seattle Chapter
Grand Award, Structural Systems - Engineering Excellence Awards - American Council of Engineering Companies
Honor Award - Honor Awards for Washington Architecture - American Institute of Architects - Seattle Chapter
Honor Award, Arch. - Institute Honor Awards for Arch, Interior Arch., and Regional and Urban Design - American Institute of Architects
Honor Award, Excellence in Structural Engineering - 2005 Local Outstanding Civil Engineering Awards - American Society of Civil Engineers
National Winner, $100 Million or Greater - 2005 Engineering Awards of Excellence - American Institute of Steel Construction
Platinum Award - Building Team Project Awards - Building Design+Construction
Platinum Award, Overall - Engineering Excellence Awards - American Council of Engineering Companies - Washington Chapter
Recipient - AIA/ALA Library Building Awards (eight awarded) - American Institute of Architects/American Library Association
Recipient, Building of the Year - TIME magazine
Top 25 Newsmakers for 2003 (Deborah Jacobs) - Engineering News-Record
Winner, Best Public Project - Best of 2004 Washington Awards - Northwest Construction magazine
Winner, Krentz Award - British Columbia Region Annual Steel Design Awards - Canadian Institute of Steel Construction - British Columbia Chapter
Winner, Most Innovative Structure - Excellence in Structural Engineering Design Competition - Structural Engineers Association of Illinois
