Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Kennedy Library Renovation

San Luis Obispo, CA

Reinvigorated by countless improvements, the 46-year-old Kennedy Library underwent a comprehensive top-to-bottom renovation that completely reimagined the space to improve student quality of life. The LEED Gold project resulted in an opened up first floor, a litany of collaborative 24-hour study spaces, completely upgraded MEP systems, installation of an active HVAC system, a new five-story glass-enclosed staircase in the central courtyard, and a seismically strengthened facility ready to serve students for another half-century.

Achieving this whole-scale reconceptualization required a team-based approach, leading university officials to use Progressive Design-Build — their first major foray into the delivery method. Trusted partners are a key part of success in this delivery method. To help define the reconfiguration effort, an ASCE 41 Tier 2 evaluation supplemented by select Tier 3 considerations was performed to focus voluntary seismic retrofit efforts on the most critical elements and preserve resources for architectural enhancements. The team ultimately decided to replace the existing staircase with a new five-story glass-enclosed tower carefully integrated into the existing waffle slab system — a technically demanding effort that required custom, data-integrated shoring towers and surgical penetrations through large concrete spandrel beams and the waffle slabs at two levels.

Additional structural upgrades included upsizing existing square columns and tactfully adding shear walls to simultaneously improve both life-safety and student wayfinding. The end result is a truly revitalized space that meets the needs of 21st-century students and strengthens the sense of community on campus. The project was delivered ahead of schedule and on budget.