Almost 2 years have passed since the repair works on the Old Library at Mita Campus began in February 2017, and currently about 90% of the works have been completed.
Work is being carried out to base-isolate the building to improve earthquake resiliency and to conserve and restore parts of the building showing signs of deterioration.
For the base-isolation retrofit work carried out below ground, workers dug down to 8 meters below the building to construct a base-isolation layer and installed 54 base isolation devices. These 54 base isolation devices are supporting the building, which weighs 16,000 tons. At the same time, conservation and restoration work was carried out aboveground. Additionally, a year was spent to repair and replace degradation, cracks, and broken parts in brick tiles, stones, imitation stones, window sashes, roof slates, metal plates, and other areas. Finally, the whole building will be cleaned and a water repellant will be applied, protecting its exterior and preserving the building.
The scaffolding that covered the entire building was removed on December 28, and the Old Library reappeared under the blue sky for the first time in a long time. The construction work is scheduled for completion in May 2019.