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A renovated library in Northeast Portland is serving both neighborhood residents and the administrative needs of the entire Multnomah County Library system following its completion June 30, 2025.

The Albina branch, located at 205 N.E. Russell St., underwent a comprehensive renovation and expansion that transformed 40,000 square feet of new and renovated space. The project involved demolishing nearly 30,000 square feet of existing library space, a garage and an administration and storage building, while preserving and upgrading the historic 1912 Carnegie Library structure.

The renovation required a comprehensive seismic upgrade to the century-old unreinforced masonry building 鈥� a technically demanding process that involved cutting large openings into existing masonry blocks to create connection points. Workers added a wood diaphragm at the roof, double-sided plywood shear walls around all exterior walls, and tied the ceiling and walls together before connecting them to the existing basement walls. The original clay tile roof was fully removed, new substrate and roofing felt were installed, and the original tiles were then reinstalled.

A large-scale mass timber addition was constructed with just 18 inches of clearance between the new structure and an adjacent building, complicating crane access and the erection of the mass timber components.

Extensive building information modeling coordination was employed throughout the project, with particular focus at the roof level to manage conduit routing across a 2-inch plywood roof deck without a topping slab. All mechanical systems were consolidated on the first-floor ceiling to serve both floors from a single location, preserving clean overhead spaces throughout the second floor.

The project incorporated a rooftop solar system as part of a broader sustainability effort. The project carried a LEED Gold requirement and is on track to achieve LEED Platinum certification.

Andersen Construction, the project鈥檚 general contractor, administered a sitewide psychological safety survey to gauge worker comfort and concerns 鈥� part of a broader initiative the company said it is now encouraging across the industry.

The project surpassed its minority contracting goals, achieving 38 percent participation from COBID-certified firms against a 25 percent target. Several participating firms have roots in northeast Portland.

鈥淭his project represents the best our communities have to offer: people joining together to honor the history of the building while adding modern influences that will keep this space accessible to kids, parents, teachers, and the community for decades to come,鈥� noted Katie Hoyt, senior project manager, in the Top Projects submission form.

The project was designed by LEVER Architecture. Samata Consulting Engineering, Valar Consulting Engineering and Vega Civil Engineering were project engineers.