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
Libraries | Sep 25, 2020
Major renovation to Providence’s downtown library is completed
The $29 million project adds light and collaborative space to a 67-year-old wing.
Libraries | Sep 22, 2020
Snøhetta wins design for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library
The project is located in Medora, N.D.
Libraries | Sep 18, 2020
Four projects receive 2020 AIA/ALA Library Building Award
2020 AIA/ALA Library Building Award recipients must demonstrate design achievement, including a sense of place, purpose, ecology, environmental sustainability, and of history.
Libraries | Sep 15, 2020
Campus libraries are leaping into the future
The world of information and student populations are constantly evolving. Academic libraries can lead the way as campuses strive to stay ahead.
Giants 400 | Aug 28, 2020
2020 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
The 2020 Giants 400 Report features more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Libraries | May 12, 2020
Designing resilient libraries for a post-covid world
As architects, it has been especially interesting to see how public libraries have deployed their physical resources and spaces to continue serving their communities despite these closures.
Libraries | Feb 4, 2020
Design of the Ottawa Public Library and Library and Archives unveiled
Diamond Schmitt Architects is designing the project.
Libraries | Jan 23, 2020
Information or community center: The next generation of libraries must be both
Are libraries still relevant in a digital world?
Libraries | Nov 18, 2019
Snøhetta designs Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s new Main Library
The library is located at the center of the rapidly changing North Tryon corridor.
Giants 400 | Oct 3, 2019
2019 Cultural Facility Giants Report: New libraries are all about community
The future of libraries is less about being quiet and more about hands-on learning and face-to-face interactions. This and more cultural sector trends from BD+C's 2019 Giants 300 Report.