West Tisbury, MA – Nauset Construction has completed foundation work and is now moving into the rough carpentry phase of the $6 million renovation and expansion of the West Tisbury Free Public Library. The project is anticipated to be completed January of 2014, and will expand the library to more than double its current size, from 5,640 square feet to approximately 13,000. “All of the concrete foundations are in, the concrete slab on grade is complete, the majority of the structural steel is in place and the underground plumbing and electrical have been completed,” said Nauset Project Manager Jon Teixeira.
The original library built in 1993 was completely gutted in early February to upgrade electrical and mechanical systems to increase energy efficiency. The new building addition will be a combination of structural steel and engineered wood, and will be constructed behind the existing library. It will include a new study room for young adults, an additional meeting room for programs, lectures and films, a new director’s office, staff work space, meeting space and restrooms. The design will also leave unfinished space to accommodate future expansion. The project has been greatly aided by the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM), which was coordinated by Nauset’s in-house BIM Manager. “The structural steel and mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems were all done in AutoCAD®Revit®,” said Nauset President Anthony Papantonis. “It really helps in the actual installation of the building systems by providing very specific detail with respect to structural steel and other building components.”
Working on Martha’s Vineyard presents challenges in the form of coordinating manpower and materials moves to the island community, but Papantonis said his firm gained valuable experience when constructing the new Steamship Authority terminal in Oak Bluffs in 2009. “There’s just more coordination, not just with Nauset, but with every single subcontractor to get the manpower and the materials to the jobsite,” said Papantonis. “Strong schedule and logistics management is key.”