Upon successful completion of the design-assist contract for the LDS Church History Library, KEPCO+ was awarded the cladding installation contract.  A total of 53,000 SF of natural stone will be installed on the Library's exterior.  Uinta Gold granite from China was selected for the majority of the cladding, while the columns will be clad with white limestone quarried in Turkey.

Preconstruction collaboration during the design-assist phase allowed for early stone and color selection, as well as an early release of shop drawings.  Since stone often requires a long lead time, releasing the stone for fabrication during the design phase was crucial to maintaining the project's aggressive schedule.  As part of the design-assist process, KEPCO+ was able to work with the design and construction team to improve constructability by reshaping the window design and determining the most effective size and placement of the stone to stone and panel to panel joints. Also during the preconstruction phase, the design and construction team visited the fabricator in China to view mock-ups of various stone elements, allowing the team to see the proposed details full scale and make any necessary adjustments prior to fabrication of the entire project.

Several stone details were slightly modified during the design-assist collaboration, resulting in an improved design and/or cost.  For example, the base of each column was originally designed as three stones to create a substantial cubic-looking detail.  After analyzing the original design, KEPCO+ suggested that it be redesigned as one cubic piece instead, resulting in an improved design and decreased installation time.  Additionally, the profile of the caps was slightly altered, maintaining a similar look while decreasing costs.  

To contribute toward the project's LEEDS certification, a weather barrier was incorporated into the stone panel design.  Additionally, instead of traditional insulation, a continuous rigid insulation was selected for the project.  These two elements will help control the internal temperature of the building, therefore decreasing the amount of energy necessary to keep the building a consistent temperature.

Approximately 56% of the exterior cladding will be panelized, while the remaining portions will be handset.  Panel installation is slated to begin the first quarter of 2008.