flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Mies’ Martin Luther King Jr. Library to get makeover

Cultural Facilities

Mies’ Martin Luther King Jr. Library to get makeover

The architects say the modernization aims to improve “Mies in a contemporary Miesian way.”


By BD+C Staff | April 7, 2015
Mies’ Martin Luther King Jr. Library to get a Mecanoo makeover

"While not final, these renderings demonstrate the amazing possibilities as we work to transform this historic building into a center for learning, innovation and engagement for the District," the library said in a statement. Renderings courtesy Mecanoo and Martinez + Johnson Architecture

ArchDaily reports that Mecanoo and Martinez + Johnson Architecture have released plans to modernize the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington D.C., designed by Mies van der Rohe and completed in 1972.

The architects said their makeover design was to improve “Mies in a contemporary Miesian way.”

In a statement, the MLK library said: “While not final, these renderings demonstrate the amazing possibilities as we work to transform this historic building into a center for learning, innovation and engagement for the District.”

The structure is Mies’ only library and only work in D.C. According to a release from Mecanoo, the 37,000-sm landmark features “transparency and light [that] stand as metaphors for freedom and knowledge, the very principles of Dr. King’s life teachings.”

Mecanoo also adds that the modernization revolves around respect for the original architecture, “while updating the building to a modern library that reflects a focus on people, celebrating the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and culture.”

Find out more at ArchDaily.

 

Related Stories

| Dec 9, 2014

Steven Holl wins Mumbai City Museum competition with 'solar water' scheme

Steven Holl's design for the new wing features a reflective pool that will generate energy.

| Dec 9, 2014

Must see: World's tallest cylindrical aquarium unveiled in Moscow

The aquarium, designed and built by International Concept Management, is a staggering 23 meters tall and is viewable from all four levels of Europe's largest shopping center.

| Dec 8, 2014

Steven Holl's expansion to JFK performing arts building breaks ground

Designed by Holl and BNIM, the 65,000-sf facility will function as an interactive space, where artists and the community can come together.

| Dec 5, 2014

Must see: Dumpster becomes a public space in art installation

Dumpsters tend to be seen as necessary evils of city life, but John H. Locke and Joaquin Reyes wanted New York City's residents to think about them in a different way. 

| Dec 4, 2014

£175 million 'Garden Bridge' gets the green light to cross the Thames

Westminster Council has approved a £175 million 'Garden Bridge' that will allow pedestrian traffic only. There has been some controversy about this bridge, which is expected to attract seven million visitors annually. 

| Nov 25, 2014

Behnisch Architekten unveils design for energy-positive building in Boston

The multi-use building for Artists For Humanity that is slated to be the largest energy positive commercial building in New England.

| Nov 18, 2014

Fan of the High Line? Check out NYC's next public park plan (hint: it floats)

Backed by billionaire Barry Diller, the $170 million "floating park" is planned for the Hudson River, and will contain wooded areas and three performance venues.

| Nov 17, 2014

'Folded facade' proposal wins cultural arts center competition in South Korea

The winning scheme by Seoul-based Designcamp Moonpark features a dramatic folded facade that takes visual cues from the landscape.

| Nov 14, 2014

Bjarke Ingels unveils master plan for Smithsonian's south mall campus

The centerpiece of the proposed plan is the revitalization of the iconic Smithsonian castle.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Adaptive Reuse

Detroit’s Michigan Central Station, centerpiece of innovation hub, opens

The recently opened Michigan Central Station in Detroit is the centerpiece of a 30-acre technology and cultural hub that will include development of urban transportation solutions. The six-year adaptive reuse project of the 640,000 sf historic station, created by the same architect as New York’s Grand Central Station, is the latest sign of a reinvigorating Detroit.


Museums

Connecticut’s Bruce Museum more than doubles its size with a 42,000-sf, three-floor addition

In Greenwich, Conn., the Bruce Museum, a multidisciplinary institution highlighting art, science, and history, has undergone a campus revitalization and expansion that more than doubles the museum’s size. Designed by EskewDumezRipple and built by Turner Construction, the project includes a 42,000-sf, three-floor addition as well as a comprehensive renovation of the 32,500-sf museum, which was originally built as a private home in the mid-19th century and expanded in the early 1990s. 



Cultural Facilities

Multipurpose sports facility will be first completed building at Obama Presidential Center

When it opens in late 2025, the Home Court will be the first completed space on the Obama Presidential Center campus in Chicago. Located on the southwest corner of the 19.3-acre Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park, the Home Court will be the largest gathering space on the campus. Renderings recently have been released of the 45,000-sf multipurpose sports facility and events space designed by Moody Nolan.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021