Gensler recently completed a major renovation of the 1926 Julia Ideson Building - one of Houston's grandest public buildings and the former main public library.
The $32 million renovation resulted from a dynamic public/private partnership between the City of Houston and the non-profit Julia Ideson Library Preservation Partners (JILPP). The "new" building will serve as a repository of Houston memorabilia and rare archival material as well as the city's official reception space and a venue for exhibits, meetings and other special events.
Gensler served as architect, Balfour Beatty US was the project's contractor, and TBG Partners served as landscape architects.
Originally designed by noted Boston architect Ralph Adams Cram, the building is an outstanding example of the Spanish Renaissance-style replete with polychrome painted ceilings, intricate woodwork, marble columns and lofty public spaces. Cram's design included a south wing and a reading garden which were never realized due to budget cuts. The "new" Ideson has a south wing that is true to Cram's original design as well as a reading garden.
The restoration was executed with painstaking detail on both the interior and exterior. The project included: a new roof, replacements for missing cast stone pieces, a reconfigured and re- landscaped plaza that was careful to preserve the champion bur oaks and a new fence similar to the one shown in Cram & Ferguson's 1923 presentation drawings.
On the inside, the intricately painted and coffered ceilings in the public rooms were restored. Historic light fixtures were re-lamped and reproduction fixtures were added in spaces that had no original lighting. Ornamental iron and metal work was refurbished. Tile, wood and stone floors were repaired and refinished.
Most of the furniture in the public spaces is original to the library or to the 1904 Carnegie Library that preceded it. The built-in bookcases in the second floor Reading Room and the hand-carved children's furniture featuring fairy-tale scenes in the Norma Meldrum Room on the first floor are original.
Paintings and sculptures throughout are from the Houston Public Library's collection. Many of the works were previously displayed in the Ideson and/or Carnegie libraries. The Ideson contains the city's largest installation of public murals completed under the Works Progress Administration program after the Depression.
The Ideson building is among the first Texas Historic Landmark projects on track for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. An efficient air-handling system and recycled and low-emitting construction materials are key components of the sustainable design that was created by Gensler in partnership with MEP engineers Redding Linden Burr. BD+C
Related Stories
| Feb 10, 2011
Zero Energy Buildings: When Do They Pay Off in a Hot and Humid Climate?
There’s lots of talk about zero energy as the next big milestone in green building. Realistically, how close are we to this ambitious goal? At this point, the strategies required to get to zero energy are relatively expensive. Only a few buildings, most of them 6,000 sf or less, mostly located in California and similar moderate climates, have hit the mark. What about larger buildings, commercial buildings, more problematic climates? Given the constraints of current technology and the comfort demands of building users, is zero energy a worthwhile investment for buildings in, for example, a warm, humid climate?
| Feb 9, 2011
Hospital Construction in the Age of Obamacare
The recession has hurt even the usually vibrant healthcare segment. Nearly three out of four hospital systems have put the brakes on capital projects. We asked five capital expenditure insiders for their advice on how Building Teams can still succeed in this highly competitive sector.
| Feb 9, 2011
Businesses make bigger, bolder sustainability commitments
In 2010, U.S. corporations continued to enhance their sustainable business efforts by making bigger, bolder, longer-term sustainability commitments. GreenBiz issued its 4th annual State of Green Business report, a free downloadable report that measures the progress of U.S. business and the economy from an environmental perspective, and highlights key trends in corporate culture in regard to the environment.
| Feb 8, 2011
AIA names 104 members to College of Fellows
The Fellowship program was developed to elevate those architects who have made a significant contribution to architecture and society and who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession. Election to fellowship not only recognizes the achievements of architects as individuals, but also their significant contribution to architecture and society on a national level.
| Feb 4, 2011
President Obama: 20% improvement in energy efficiency will save $40 billion
President Obama’s Better Buildings Initiative, announced February 3, 2011, aims to achieve a 20% improvement in energy efficiency in commercial buildings by 2020, improvements that will save American businesses $40 billion a year.
| Jan 31, 2011
Cuningham Group Architecture launches Healthcare studio with Lee Brennan
International design firm Cuningham Group Architecture, P.A. (Cuningham Group) has announced the arrival of Lee Brennan, AIA, as Principal and Leader of its new Healthcare studio. Brennan comes to Cuningham Group with over 30 years of professional experience, 22 of those years in healthcare, encompassing all aspects of project delivery, from strategic planning and programming through design and construction. The firm’s new Healthcare studio will enhance Cuningham Group’s expertise in leisure and entertainment, education, mixed-use/housing and workplace environments.
| Jan 31, 2011
HDR Architecture Releases Evidence-based Design Videos
As a follow-up to its book Evidence-based Design for Healthcare Facilities, HDR Architecture, Inc. has released three video case studies that highlight evidence-based design principles in action.
| Jan 31, 2011
CISCA releases White Paper on Acoustics in Healthcare Environments
The Ceilings & Interior Systems Construction Association (CISCA) has released an extensive white paper “Acoustics in Healthcare Environments” for architects, interior designers, and other design professionals who work to improve healthcare settings for all users. This white paper serves as a comprehensive introduction to the acoustical issues commonly confronted on healthcare projects and howbest to address those.
| Jan 28, 2011
Firestone Building Products Unveils FirestoneRoof Mobile Web App
Firestone Building Products Company unveiled FirestoneRoof, a first-of-its-kind free mobile web app. The FirestoneRoof mobile web app enables customers to instantly connect with Firestone commercial roofing experts and is designed to make it easier for building owners, facility managers, roofing consultants and others charged with maintaining commercial roofing systems to get the support they need, when they need it.
| Jan 27, 2011
Perkins Eastman's report on senior housing signals a changing market
Top international design and architecture firm Perkins Eastman is pleased to announce that the Perkins Eastman Research Collaborative recently completed the “Design for Aging Review 10 Insights and Innovations: The State of Senior Housing” study for the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The results of the comprehensive study reflect the changing demands and emerging concepts that are re-shaping today’s senior living industry.
