We are celebrating National Library Week and all that resilient libraries have to offer to communities! We are featuring one of our colleagues with experienced library insights, Nick Andrews. Nick is a Principal and Project Manager at HEAPY and he specializes in Electrical Engineering for the Education and Corporate Markets that HEAPY serves. As a specialized Electrical Engineer, Nick has helped create high performing libraries across Ohio, one of them being the Dayton Metro Library Main Branch renovation project.
Libraries are so much more than a place to rent books. In honor of this year’s theme, “Welcome to Your Library,” Nick touches on the latest MEP engineering design and technology features that help transform libraries into an evolutionary gathering space that makes for an exciting library experience for communities.
Nick’s Library Interview:
What are some of the special features or design considerations for library engineering design?
“Daylight is one of the big special enhanced features. Natural light shining into a space where individuals are reading is great, but energy impacts need to be analyzed to make it work for the building and the owner. Both Electrical and Mechanical designs need coordinated with Daylight in the building.
Electrically we have to make sure that we are harvesting and using that natural light while dimming the artificial light to save energy. It is also important to make sure that there isn’t too much Daylight, so we have to coordinate things like powered shades with light levels so that there isn’t too much glare inside the building. Mechanically,
Daylight can help heat the space in the winter but it can also create issues with cooling in the summer. Again, the Mechanical design needs coordinated with things like R-value of the glass and automatic controls to maintain temperatures inside the building. When it’s done right, Daylight can add a lot of value and help create a space where people want to be.”
What is your favorite part about working on a library project?
“My favorite part about library projects is the ever-changing technology. When I was a kid, you went to the library to get books, now libraries are so much more than that. You can use computers, borrow videos, play games in the gaming spaces, listen to digital books, use the internet/wifi, and yes, still borrow books. It seems like there is always new technology being added at the libraries to enhance the communities use of these buildings. It is fun to be on the design side of things and figure out how to make it work for the owner/users.”
Libraries are so much more than places to rent books…How do you design spaces to welcome diverse people and create a community hub?
“This goes back to my favorite part about library projects. As MEP&T designers for library projects, it seems we are always on the leading edge of new technology that the community or users want in these buildings. Many of the libraries we work with aren’t afraid to implement new technology to get people to come in and continue to use the library.
Technology such as, gaming spaces for E-Sports, large community rooms with AV capabilities for community meetings, free Wi-Fi for people to come use the internet, coffee bars, automated book returns for ease of returning borrowed books, and the list goes on. Each time we design a library it seems like we get to add a little more technology to keep the community interested. As these buildings evolve, so do our MEP&T designs and that’s what keeps it exciting for me.”