Education Construction

Washington Free Public Library

The Washington Free Public Library hired Carl A. Nelson & Co. as their construction manager for their new 30,000 sf, $5.9 million library. As the construction manager, we organized the bid packages to encourage local contractor participation. Washington, Iowa has a population just over 7,000 people. 36% of this project, almost $1.5 million, went to contractors located in the Washington area.

The new library is built on the downtown square in Washington, Iowa. It is easy for pedestrians to access and contributes to the downtown vitality. Although reusing the existing buildings were considered, after careful analysis, it was determined the existing buildings would not meet the needs of the new library nor withstand the load requirements for the books. Carl A. Nelson & Company diverted more than 90% of the demolition and construction waste from the landfill. The new building is designed to be energy efficient using light sensors, natural day-lighting from solar tubes & skylights, and a geothermal system under the town square. All these features will reduce operating costs for years to come. The building will be used as a model building to educate the public on sustainable design. Carl A. Nelson & Company has multiple LEED AP BD+C on staff.

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