Colgate University has named Gilbane Building Company as construction manager for the 101,000-sf renovation and 51,000-sf addition to the Case Library and Center for Information Technology in Hamilton, N.Y. Teaming up with architects Kendall/Heaton & Abbott and Shepley Bullfinch, the $45-million project will bring texts and technology together in a distinctive building that will provide students and faculty with sophisticated electronic resources and easier access to Colgate's outstanding bound collections.
The new structure will add two wings and a fifth floor which will have a bold glass entrance facing the elevated upper campus. The new library will have a robotic LASR system that finds and fetches books at the click of a button, as well as a 30' x 115' vault that will hold up to 500,000 books in deep storage. Separate areas will be available for videoconferencing and distance learning, audio and video studios, a multimedia production suite, and public computing. Completion date for the project is January 2007.
