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Library Shelving Facility — Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut

Fabcon Panels Help Yale University Preserve Historic Books and Artwork

When Yale University decided to expand its Library Shelving Facility (LSF), project coordinators opted to build the addition using Fabcon's 12-inch precast insulated concrete panels because they allowed for fast construction time, while also providing strong protection in several key areas. Because the facility is a specialized warehouse that holds more than 250,000 historic books, and records, its precast concrete walls must provide high-end humidity control, a strong fire rating and solid insulation values to protect its valuable contents.

"We considered concrete block walls in the design process, but we opted for precast concrete panels because it saved time in construction, helped control costs and provided a solid fire rating," said David Berg, senior principal at DM Berg Consultants in Needham, Mass. "We chose Fabcon not only because their panels met the client's needs for climate and fire control, but also because they were very responsive to our requests for product details and information."

With a potentially flammable inventory of books and paper records, panels used in the Library Shelving Facility require a strong fire rating. The facility features several storage areas in close proximity to one another, so it's vital that fire not be able to easily spread to other parts of the building. Fabcon's precast concrete panels provide a fire rating unmatched by brick or block, which can break apart under the weight of a roof failure during a fire.

Located near Yale's main campus in New Haven, Conn., the Library Shelving Facility encompasses approximately 60,000-square-feet and reaches more than 30-feet high. It can hold more than 8.5 million volumes. State-of-the-art technology allows the module to maintain a constant 50-degree temperature and a 30 percent humidity level - ideal conditions for preserving printed materials. According to Yale officials, the facility's optimal temperature and humidity environment is designed to preserve printed materials for at least another 250 years.

Harvard University in Boston is currently working to build a similar warehouse facility with the same project coordinators, also using Fabcon panels.

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