OLD MILLER LIBRARY CONVERSION

Address: Ellicott City, MD

Client/Owner: Howard County Bureau of Facilities

Symmetry First Architects led a full‐complement design and engineering design team for the conversion of a one‐story public library into a consolidated administrative office for the Howard County Library System, which is adjacent to their flagship library – the (new) Miller Library. The 34,500 square foot renovated/expanded building includes a 6,500 square foot fitness center for the adjoining Ellicott City 50+ Center.

The project included demolition of a quadrant of the existing building, construction of a two‐story addition, and a comprehensive interior and exterior renovation of the remainder of the building. The scope of services included pre‐design through contract administration. The AE team included a landscape architect and civil, structural, geotechnical and mechanical/electrical/plumbing engineers.

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In order to create a visual connection between the new Miller Library and the Library System Headquarters in the
Old Miller Building, we removed the bland, white Dryvit from the Old Miller building and installed stone and brick
veneer to match the New Miller building. Effective aesthetically, this also allowed us to significantly improve the R‐values of the exterior walls. Similarly, we removed the existing roof system down to the existing metal deck and installed a new tapered low‐slope roof system, with energy code‐compliant thermal performance.

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Consultants:

Spectrum Engineers - mechanical/electrical/plumbing engineering

Skarda & Associates, Inc. - structural engineering

Phoenix Engineering, Inc. - civil engineering

Timothy Prigg and Associates - landscape architecture

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Size: 34,500 sf (Addition/Renovation)
Construction Cost: $5,900,000 ($171/sq.ft.)
Construction Completed: June 2015