The new Rockford Public Library features two stories that cantilever approximately 30 feet from the main building face to create a floating glass box. With the owner and architect’s vision for sleek, thin floors and expansive glass walls, engineers crafted a unique column and two-story truss system to support this striking architectural feature. Read more about this feature and IMEG’s structural design in an article in Modern Steel Construction. 

By Eric Reinsch and Matt Snyder

The new 68,000-sf Rockford Public Library is a showcase of modern engineering and community-focused design. Despite significant challenges with the project site, the project team delivered an award-winning facility that truly meets the needs of Rockford residents while preserving the library’s long history. 

Rockford’s original library was built in 1903, on a riverfront site that had had been previously used by a gas plant. In 2010, contaminated soil was found under the library. ComEd, which had ties to the former plant, worked with library officials to determine that the library needed to be demolished to appropriately remediate the site. With community input, library officials decided to build a new, modern facility on the same historic riverfront site that had been the library’s home for over 100 years. 

Site challenges 

In preparation for the new library, the site remediation involved significant teamwork between the remediation engineers, structural engineers, and several construction teams to optimize foundation systems, column placements, existing foundations, abandoned temporary earth retention system, and overall construction sequencing. Much of their efforts focused on successfully achieving the required foundation capacities with the architectural program of the parking garage and library. 

To address the site’s poor soil, the structural design team implemented a traditional driven pile system, supplemented by micropiles in remediated areas to support traditional pile caps, mat foundations, and grade beams bridging existing conditions and abandoned earth retention systems (remediation scope). This required a careful integration of temporary earth retention systems, temporary dewatering and ground plugs, and new project scope. 

Community-focused design 

The design team gathered input from residents to ensure their voices and aspirations were woven into the vision for the facility. The new library offers a diverse array of gathering spaces for the Rockford community, introducing services and amenities that were previously unavailable. Among these are large and small community rooms, a vibrant children’s area, a maker space, two recording studios (one for audio and one for video), and inviting outdoor patio spaces along the river.  

The dedicated children’s area on the first floor features a computer lab, three program rooms, an engaging play structure with a slide, and a baby garden to keep toddlers separated from older kids. The second-floor teen center boasts a gaming room and laptops available for student checkout. 

These enhanced services enrich community life and create valuable opportunities for individuals who might otherwise lack access to technology and creative resources. 

Read more about IMEG’s award-winning design in our project case study.