Snoqualmie Library

New Snoqualmie Library Receives Building Award

The new Snoqualmie Library will receive a 2008 Build Washington Award from the AGC, a trade association that represents and provides services to the commercial construction industry. The new library was selected as a winner in the category of public buildings under $5 million.

“The library system has a tradition of high-quality buildings,” said King County Library System Director Bill Ptacek. “We are glad this generation of library buildings is standing up to the tradition.”

The new 6,000 square foot Snoqualmie Library opened to the community in August 2007 and was the first new library to be built as part of the $172 million library capital bond, approved by voters in 2004.

The almost $4 million project was submitted for the award by the contractor, BNBuilders. A panel of five judges evaluated projects from across the state.
“We have a lot of people apply,” said Liz Evans, AGC Northern District Manager. “We start out with a pretty big pool.”

The Snoqualmie Library was selected as a winner due to several factors: collaborative effort, a fast-track schedule and the use of Building Information Modeling software, Evans said.

Few contractors use Building Information Modeling software to its full advantage, Evans said, although it helps the project team exchange information by creating a digital representation of all stages of the building process to simulate real-world performance. It also allows for early cost estimating and helps projects stay on schedule.

“The judges really liked the use of technology in the project,” said Evans. “The reason that technology is so important is because is allows the team to visualize the details, so it brings in a more integrated approach to the building.”

The AGC will present awards to representatives from KCLS, BNBuilders and also the project architect, Miller-Hull Partnership, at an awards presentation at the Seattle Art Museum on May 21.

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Last Updated: May 15, 2008