The Moelis Family Grand Reading Room at the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center required the fast-paced renovation of a 5,500 sf microfiche viewing room. The project scope included full demolition of the space, installation of a new entrance, glass storefront and an oversized commissioned art wall installation. Exquisite finishes include terrazzo flooring, wood panel ceilings and plaster columns with hand-patina brass accents.
Due to its fragility, the art wall could not be installed until all dust, dirt, liquid and unwieldy tasks were complete and the space had been cleaned. This made the art wall installation the central critical element of the schedule – it served as a hard interim deadline since the installation itself required the coordination of ten people and four lifts, so as not to damage any of the three tapestries.
Additionally, due to the double height space, the majority of work had to be done at least partially via lift. However, since the schedule was so condensed, all trades were literally working on top of each other. At the busiest point in the process, there were 13 different lifts being used in the space at one time. Due to the tight schedule and extreme work conditions, all tweaks, adjustments, and scope changes that arose were handled immediately by all team members involved.
