A connection to nature with ‘glulams’
The new $30.9 million Fields Corner library branch that is rising at the busy corner of Park Street and Dorchester Avenue with a completion expected by next summer has an important design distinction that is readily apparent to passersby: The bones of the two-story, 14,500-square-foot building are framed with glulams, or engineered wood, instead of steel beams.
Only a handful of municipal structures use them as part of their support bases. The exposed, light-colored wooden beams suggest the feel of a cabin or ski lodge and will be visible inside as part of the final product.
Products like glulams are new to the construction scene in Boston. They are among the elements that the “mass timber” movement of sustainable alternatives proposes in place of the usual steel superstructure.
The first city building to use the technique was the Engagement Center in Newmarket, but “what’s going on in Fields Corner is a first for BPL,” said Evan Brinkman, assistant director of design for the Public Facilities Department (PFD). He cited the use of “wood more extensively, not only for the primary frame, but also for the floor slabs and wall framing.”
He also mentioned public presentations in 2023 that “talked about the sustainable benefits of using wood, but as noted, it’s pretty, creates a warm, welcoming environment, and there are some biophilic benefits in combining nature with the built environment to improve well-being, which is an emerging field in design.”
Heavy timber framing was a standard in the past, but glulams and mass timber are more than just history repeating itself, said Brinkman. “Many municipal buildings prior to the 1950s would have been built with wood framing or heavy timber construction, but in this case the wood structure is exposed, allowing us to experience it and save on the cost of additional finishes to cover it up,” he added.
Fields Corner will also be the first library branch in the BPL system built to the City’s Fossil Fuel Free standard for municipal buildings. Targeting LEED Gold Certification, the all-electric building will operate without gas or other fossil fuels and will have infrastructure for future photovoltaic panel installation. The new building is designed by Oudens Ello Architects.
The construction site for the Fields Corner Library on Park Street and Dorchester Avenue reveals the glulams – engineered wood – that form the superstructure as a sustainable alternative to steel beams. Seth Daniel photo
