Best of 2005 Awards

Pierpont Morgan Library

Project of the Year: Cultural

The expansion of the Pierpont Morgan Library involved several layers of complexity geared to maximize space on a tight site, increase public access, and unify a campus. Add in a sophisticated design and innovative construction techniques, and it's no wonder that the library ended up as the Best of 2005 jury's runner-up for overall project of the year, edged out by the eventual winner, the reconstruction of Columbus Circle.

"It was a job and a half," said one juror. "As far as complexities are concerned, that project is probably more difficult than anything else out there."

Construction on the $100 million project was slated for completion this month, and the library should open to the public in spring after its collection returns.

In 2000, the library's board picked Renzo Piano of Italy to design a curtain-walled, 75,000-sq.-ft. expansion, with New York-based Beyer Blinder Belle serving as project architect.

The job called for extensive renovation and restoration of three existing buildings on the east side of Madison Avenue between 36th and 37th streets, all built between the 19th Century and 1928. The work included removing old paint and concrete from previous additions and carving new stone to match the original specifications of a 1906 Charles McKim building.

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Meanwhile, the new structure required the team to dig a deep foundation between the existing structures and nearby residential buildings, whose occupants voiced concerns about the project.

"That's a very tough community they were working with," one juror said.

Of the 75,000 sq. ft. in new space, the project team, headed by New York-based F.J. Sciame Construction, added 43,000 sq. ft. underground. The team excavated 20,000 cu. yd. of Manhattan schist rock and 4,000 cu. yd. of soil in a hole 50 ft. deep, right along the edges of the existing buildings - an effort that required underpinning and rock anchors for support.

"The hoe ram had to be small - they had to go in very gingerly," a juror said.

The team also built a piazza that offers a grand, high-ceilinged entrance on Madison Avenue and for the first time connects the three existing buildings. The entrance provides access to a new glass-ceilinged reading room, clad in solid steel panels and a steel-and-glass curtain wall assembled in Germany.

The piazza opens to a separate Renaissance-inspired steel gallery space called the Cube, which is also topped with glass. The piazza also leads to facilities underground, including a special space built to house the library's rare book collection, which includes three Gutenberg bibles and an original Mozart manuscript.

The new underground vault features pneumatic doors, mechanical drains, pumps, and waterproofed walls. Also below grade is a 275-seat auditorium featuring high-end acoustics and mechanical and electrical control systems.

Key Players

Owner: Pierpont Morgan Library

Owner's Representative: Paratus Group

Construction Manager: F.J. Sciame Construction

Design Architect: Renzo Piano Building Workshop

Project Architect: Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners

Structural Engineer: Robert Silman Associates

M-E-P Engineer: Cosentini Associates

Foundation Contractor: Civetta Cousins

Steel Contractor: DMC Erectors

Curtain Wall: Gartner