MILFORD, MA – For the second year in a row, a library renovation and addition completed by Consigli Construction Co., Inc. was awarded a Library Building Award by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the American Library Association (ALA). Designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson and completed in 2014, the Sawyer Library the Sawyer Library at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. features a restored façade and a modern, intricate interior that includes a dense network of walkways, moving walls and private study spaces.

Located in the heart of the campus, the $60 million project focused on an adaptive reuse of a four-story, 40,000-square-foot Georgian Revival building that was the original college library. The project included the replacement of the building’s two additions dating from 1956 and 1962 with 130,000-square-feet of brand new, extra space to house reading and study spaces, a café, media study areas, instructional rooms, staff offices and general work areas.

Built in 1923, the original building continues to house faculty offices and classrooms on the top two floors. Interior decorative plasterwork and wood paneling was cleaned and restored in the public spaces as well as the historic Reading Room that occupies the first and second floors. The building is received a new fire protection system and new mechanical, power and data systems as well as other improvements that brought it up to date with current state building codes.

According to the AIA, the 30-month project “illustrates how sustainable planning and design can deliver inspiring architecture that supports social interaction, foster a sense of community, and provide environmental stewardship.”

In 2015, Consigli’s work on the Carney Library at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth was recognized with the same award by the AIA and ALA.