The new 32,000 square foot library, built from the ground up, includes an outdoor venue, coffee shops, a teaching kitchen, maker stations, a story/lecture stair, multi-purpose meeting rooms, executive board rooms, a computer lab, a teen loft, recording studios, a microfiche area & a rare books section.

The modern design uses natural light throughout to help reduce operational costs and lessen the facilities carbon footprint. The landscaping and outdoor areas provide a tranquil retreat with plenty of fresh air to relax and rejuvenate while expanding the mind and imagination.

Built in 1928, Benton County received a grant from the Walton Family Foundation to renovate the interior and exterior of the Courthouse.

The renovation of the Courthouse consisted of an extensive exterior envelope renovation, including related site work, waterproofing, and new windows, maintaining the original facade.   The first floor of the courthouse received a complete renovation including mechanical/electrical/data.   All of this was accomplished while the Courthouse was operating.

This project, constructed as the Arkansas Studies Institute, houses Arkansas-related books, manuscripts, photographs, audio and UALR’s Ottenheimer’s Archives and Special Collections ...10 million manuscripts and 46,000 books, including the most extensive collection of Arkansas governors’ official papers, including Governors Jim Guy Tucker, Bill Clinton, Frank White, Dale Bumpers, Winthrop Rockefeller, Carl Bailey, Thomas McRae, and George Donaghey.  The building is also home to the Clinton School of Public Service; the Arkansas Humanities Council; the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies; Central Arkansas Library System Art Galleries; Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture; UALR Archives and Special Collections; and the UALR Urban Policy Forum.

The Geyer & Adams Building (built in 1914 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places) and the Budget Office Building (built in 1883 of heavy timber) in downtown Little Rock were renovated, and a 20,000 square foot addition made of steel and glass construction now comprise the 68,000 square foot building  that represents three centuries of construction.  The exterior is designed with seven fin-shaped frosted-glass panels that resemble pages of a book.  The fins block the heat but also let the light through.  The fins protect the archives from direct sunlight.  The bottom panel of each fin features a historic image of Arkansas.

This project is the winner of 11 awards including:
(1) AIA / ALA National Library Building Award
(2) Best Construction Award --South Central Construction/McGraw-Hill
(3) Preserve Arkansas Award – Excellence in Preservation through Rehabilitation
(4) Preserve Arkansas Award – Outstanding New Construction in an Historic Setting

East Harding Construciton was selected to provide construction management services for the renovation of the existing Hardin & Grace Building (21,000 sf) and an addition of 9,000 sf for additional offices and support space.

Specifics for USGBC LEED Certification included: Reducing the “heat island” around the building by taking out the asphalt and replacing it with a green band of landscaping, using pervious pavement and vegetated bioswales to decrease runoff, improve water quality, and supply water for the landscaping, replacing the old mechanical systems with more efficient heating and cooling equipment, using low volatile organic compound materials in the renovation and new construction that reduces off-gassing and improves the indoor air quality, using light color for solar reflectance on the roof, using occupancy sensors on light fixtures, using energy-saving fixtures throughout and using the energy-saving solar orientation for the new addition (entrance faces north).

All construction waste was recycle, project used local material suppliers to save on shipping and used recycled and recyclable materials, whenever possible.

The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) selected East Harding Construction to be the Construction Manager for the new Children’s Library Initiative.

The interactive facility is located on 6.5-acres in midtown Little Rock immediately south of I-630.  The site includes an original Craftsman-style house renovated to a LEED for Homes standard that is occupied by the caretaker; a renovated original stone garage that can be used for maintenance equipment and other storage; a greenhouse; a managed wetlands with walking trails and bridges; extensive landscaping with native species; an outdoor amphitheater; and a 30,000 square foot, two-story building with traditional book stacks, a computer lab, a nutrition lab, an auditorium, audio-visual technology, and administrative offices.

The building has been awarded USGBC LEED Gold.