Balfour Beatty Construction

J. Paul Leonard and Sutro Library at San Francisco State University earns national AGC Award

March 13, 2013

San Diego - The J. Paul Leonard Library and Sutro* Library at San Francisco State University received a Merit Award in the Design-Build Category from the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America in their annual national Alliant Build America Awards Competition. Balfour Beatty Construction teamed with HMC Architects on the renovation and expansion of the 362,500 square foot design-build project. The awards ceremony took place on March 7 at the AGC’s 94th Annual Convention at the Alliant Build America Awards Dinner in Palm Springs, California.

The $103.8 million library renovation and expansion project at San Francisco State University addressed the need to accommodate a growing student population and fix structural inadequacies while concurrently updating the building’s electrical and telecommunication systems. Originally constructed in three phases (1953, 1959 and 1971), the new two-phase design-build project included the construction and renovation of more than 362,000 square feet of space, including:

•    Construction of a 60,000-square foot  West Addition that houses book stacks and an automated library book retrieval system
•    Construction of a 20,000 square foot  North Addition
•    Renovation of the 282,500 square foot  existing library
•    Seismic reinforcement of the existing library

In total, the project adds 34% more space, 50% more seating, 50% more group study areas, 50% more collection capacity, both in open stacks and a high-density automated retrieval system, and 100% more computers; all while providing a flexible and congenial learning environment in the heart of campus.

“The central challenge of the project was maintaining community access during construction,” said Simon Y. Lam, associate vice president, capital planning, design and construction at San Francisco State University. “Our campus is landlocked with no suitable on‐site storage for the collection during construction. The Design-Build team proved to be an inventive partner, keeping the collection intact with access by library personnel, while construction proceeded on the addition. This solution minimized disruption to the campus community, reduced cost, and put the project ahead of schedule."

“This is outstanding recognition for a landmark project at San Francisco State University,” said Brian Cahill, President of Balfour Beatty Construction’s Southwest division.   The strength of the entire team showcased our ability to collaborate and deliver a project that met the owner’s vision, purpose and functionality.  This national acknowledgement is a testament that we can accomplish more together than as individual organizations. We couldn’t be more proud of the team and this project, now a two-time national award recipient from both the AGC and DBIA.”

The Balfour Beatty Construction team working on the project included Richard Bruce, senior vice president; Wayne Kibbe, superintendent; Phil Sager, superintendent; Molly Engelbert, field engineer; and Cherie Kibbe, project accountant. The project completed in March 2012, five months ahead of schedule.

*The Sutro Library is incorporated into the fifth and sixth floors of the Leonard Library and contains a world-class archive collection of rare books, original documents and artifacts donated by former San Francisco mayor and mining magnate, Adolph Sutro.



J. Paul Leonard and Sutro Library Project Team

Design-Builder: Balfour Beatty Construction
General Contractor: Balfour Beatty Construction
Architect: HMC Architects
Structural Engineering: Simpson, Gumpertz & Heger
Civil Engineer: Jacobs
MEP Engineering: Shadpour Consulting Engineers, Inc.
Electrical Engineering: LPG Engineering, Inc.
Commissioning Agent: Heery, International
Concrete/Reinforced Steel: TB Penick & Sons, Inc.
Electrical Subcontractor: Helix Electric, Inc.
HVAC/Plumbing Subcontractor: Critchfield Mechanical, Inc.
Fire Sprinkler Subcontractor: RCM Fire Protection, Inc.