UConn Okays $19 Million to Fix Leaking Library
Trustees of the University of Connecticut in Hartford approved September 25 some $19 million to begin repairing the structurally unsound façade of the Law School Library in October, a sum that is $5 million less than the $24 million it cost to build the 11-year-old facility in the first place. The five-story, 125,000-square-foot library has been plagued with leaks from multiple sources since it opened, and the state attorney general is “aggressively trying to recoup the money from the primary construction company and architects,” Manager of Media Communications Karen Grava told American Libraries.
Despite more than a decade of physical-plant problems, systemic repairs have been delayed until now by red tape and lack of funds. “It took a long time to get the attention of the Department of Public Works [under whose supervision the building was erected], and there was a long period while we waited for funding,” Grava explained. When DPW seemed unable after several years of attempts to stop the leaks, the university hired the forensic architectural firm Hoffman Architects of North Haven to investigate the work done by architects S/L/A/M Collaborative of Glastonbury and general contractors Gilbane Building Company and Arborio Corporation.
The resulting 2002 report documented that the flashing and windows were improperly installed, and exterior waterproofing was inadequately applied, “so water is flowing into the building,” Grava said. As a result, carpets, walls, and other interior surfaces have suffered damage; the facility’s steel frame is rusting; and the sheetrock is infested with mold. Hoffman Architects also found that the library’s signature granite façade was not anchored properly and could blow off in a high wind; the discovery triggered the erection of protective scaffolding around the building to shield facility users and passersby.
Grava went on to say that the university is funding the repairs on its own pending the results of the lawsuits and the release of $8 million in special bonds approved by the state legislature in 2004 but never released by the bond commission.
Posted September 28, 2007.
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