Virginia Theological Seminary Bishop Payne Library Renovations

Photo Credit: 2RW Consultants

Virginia Theological Seminary Bishop Payne Library Renovations

Alexandria, VA

Owner

Virginia Theological Seminary

Timeframe

2019 – 2021

Size

34,500 SF

Cost

Confidential

MEP/FP engineering for this library renovation supports stacks, archives, rare collections, research areas, and flexible meeting spaces, following a comprehensive assessment of existing systems. The design includes a hydronic HVAC system connected to campus utilities, a dedicated system for rare collections with precise temperature and humidity control, VAV and demand control ventilation strategies, and LED lighting with digital controls. Systems also include BAS integration, emergency power, UPS, and inverter-supported lighting to ensure reliable performance for critical spaces.

Project Goals

Originally constructed in the 1960s with a 1970s expansion, Bishop Payne Library was in need of modernization to meet 21st-century learning and teaching methods. The project goal was to create interactive and technologically sophisticated spaces for teaching, researching, learning, and gathering.

Services

This project features a modernized main stacks area, rare book collections, archives, research areas, high-density shelving, and flexible meeting rooms.

2RW conducted a comprehensive systems assessment to determine the renovation impact to the existing MEP/FP systems and developed system recommendations. 2RW provided subsequent MEP/FP design for:

An energy-efficient hydronic HVAC system with connection into campus utilities and an independent HVAC system dedicated to the rare book collection area with specific temperature and humidy controls and monitoring
Variable Air Volume (VAV) controls and Demand Control Ventilation (DCV) strategies
LED lighting with digital lighting controls to allow preset scene programming for multi-purpose spaces
Integration of updated Building Automation System (BAS) to the central campus BAS for monitoring and automated alerts
Emergency power distribution system, a uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system, and an invertor for emergency lighting systems

Results

The new HVAC system, connected to the central campus utilities, allows additional electrical capacity to serve the new learning environments; simplifies maintenance; and improves the building efficiency and thermal comfort.
The temperature and humidity controls for the special collections and historic archive areas accommodates the conservation and preservation of collections and enables VTS to house a large, nationally recognized collection of premier African American religious text.