The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library opened in Washington, D.C. in 1972. The 37,000-sm building was originally designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and uses transparency and light as metaphors for freedom and knowledge.
Over four decades after the building originally opened, the library is set to undergo a substantial renovation to become a modern space that reflects a focus on people and the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and culture. Mecanoo and Martinez+Johnson Architecture will work together to update the building, taking care to keep much of library’s original architecture in tact.
The architects will turn the main entrance and the two adjacent cores into focal points by making them more transparent and through the addition of spacious stairwells. A “Great Hall” will be added as a centralized area designated for cultural performances and informal events.
Upper Great Halls will be created on the upper floors through the removal of brickwork cores, again, with the intention of increasing transparency and emphasizing horizontal orientation.
The library’s departments and functions have been grouped and distributed throughout the building in order to create well-organized floors for different users and purposes. Even when looking at the building from the outside, the different atmospheres on each floor will be readily visible.
The ground floor will be home to a café with a patio terrace sheltered by the building’s large continuous arcade. The fourth and fifth floors will contain a new two-story, 300-seat auditorium and event space. A new public rooftop garden will offer ample outdoor space and views of the surrounding capital city. The glazed perimeter of the building will be redesigned to accommodate people, and not just books.
Also included in the renovation are a fabrication lab, children’s library, special collections archive, and conference center. The project is expected to be completed by 2020.
Rendering courtesy of Mecanoo.
Rendering courtesy of Mecanoo.
Rendering courtesy of Mecanoo.
Rendering courtesy of Mecanoo.
Rendering courtesy of Mecanoo.
Rendering courtesy of Mecanoo.
Related Stories
| Jun 7, 2013
First look: Austin breaks ground on 'light-filled' Central Library
The design scheme by Lake|Flato and Shepley Bulfinch incorporates reading "porches" and a light-filled, six-story atrium.
| Jun 5, 2013
USGBC: Free LEED certification for projects in new markets
In an effort to accelerate sustainable development around the world, the U.S. Green Building Council is offering free LEED certification to the first projects to certify in the 112 countries where LEED has yet to take root.
| Jun 3, 2013
Construction spending inches upward in April
The U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce announced today that construction spending during April 2013 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $860.8 billion, 0.4 percent above the revised March estimate of $857.7 billion.
| May 29, 2013
6 award-winning library projects
The Anacostia Neighborhood Library in Washington, D.C., and the renovation of Cass Gilbert’s grand Beaux-Arts library in St. Louis are among six projects to be named 2013 AIA/ALA Library Building Award winners.
| May 21, 2013
7 tile trends for 2013: Touch-sensitive glazes, metallic tones among top styles
Tile of Spain consultant and ceramic tile expert Ryan Fasan presented his "What's Trending in Tile" roundup at the Coverings 2013 show in Atlanta earlier this month. Here's an overview of Fasan's emerging tile trends for 2013.
| Apr 30, 2013
Tips for designing with fire rated glass - AIA/CES course
Kate Steel of Steel Consulting Services offers tips and advice for choosing the correct code-compliant glazing product for every fire-rated application. This BD+C University class is worth 1.0 AIA LU/HSW.
| Apr 24, 2013
North Carolina bill would ban green rating systems that put state lumber industry at disadvantage
North Carolina lawmakers have introduced state legislation that would restrict the use of national green building rating programs, including LEED, on public projects.
| Apr 24, 2013
Los Angeles may add cool roofs to its building code
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wants cool roofs added to the city’s building code. He is also asking the Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to create incentives that make it financially attractive for homeowners to install cool roofs.
| Apr 11, 2013
George W. Bush Presidential Center achieves LEED Platinum certification
The George W. Bush Presidential Center announced today it has earned Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. The Bush Center is the first presidential library to achieve LEED Platinum certification under New Construction.
| Apr 5, 2013
Snøhetta design creates groundbreaking high-tech library for NCSU
The new Hunt Library at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, incorporates advanced building features, including a five-story robotic bookBot automatic retrieval system that holds 2 million volumes in reduced space.
