Folger Shakespeare Library

Project Details

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Project Narrative

The Folger Shakespeare Library Renovation Project just took a big step forward with the removal of the entire northern foundation wall, a remarkable achievement that took months of preparation. Where the wall once stood, crews are starting to extend and strengthen a row of the building’s structural steel columns—a crucial stage before building new spaces for visitors, students, teachers, scholars, and staff.

Scaffold Resource worked alongside Patuxent Engineering to design the temporary support of the historic stone façade to facilitate the removal of the below grade foundation wall and the addition of an extended basement level beyond the footprint of the building. A key aspect of the temporary façade support was to allow for the excavation/lowering of the basement level; hence a unique shoring system which not only supported the historic façade but did so by utilizing the existing building columns and foundations was designed and installed. The shoring design included strict deflection tolerances and the installation included a high level of contractor coordination and real time adjustments to accommodate field conditions during demolition processes.

Final Design

The shoring was designed to support 227’ of exterior stone façade along the north side of building. North stone façade weighs a total of approximately 655,000 lbs.
The shoring was designed to transfer the north façade loads to the existing steel columns without the need for temporary foundations, which would have conflicted with the renovation work.

The weight of the temporary steel alone is approximately 75,000lbs.
Approximately 180 linear feet of complete joint penetration field welds.
The shoring system is designed for very tight deflection tolerances to minimize the movement of the existing north stone facade. The maximum theoretical deflection (vertical movement) of the system is only 0.125”.