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 | Aug 1, 2024
How current and future trends are shaping the libraries of tomorrow
Over the last few years, public libraries have transitioned from being buildings that only store and lend books to being fully featured community centers.
Libraries | Jun 7, 2024
7 ways to change 'business as usual': The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library
One hundred forty years ago, Theodore Roosevelt had a vision that is being realized today. The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is a cutting-edge example of what’s possible when all seven ambitions are pursued to the fullest from the beginning and integrated into the design at every phase and scale.
Libraries | Apr 24, 2024
New mass timber Teddy Roosevelt library aims to be one with nature
On July 4, 2026, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is scheduled to open on 93 acres in Medora, a town in North Dakota with under 130 permanent residents, but which nonetheless has become synonymous with the 26th President of the United States, who lived there for several years in the 1880s.
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 20 Public Library Construction Firms for 2023
Gilbane Building Company, Skanska USA, Manhattan Construction, McCownGordon Construction, and C.W. Driver Companies top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest public library general contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 30 Public Library Engineering Firms for 2023
KPFF Consulting Engineers, Tetra Tech High Performance Buildings Group, Thornton Tomasetti, WSP, and Dewberry top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest public library engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 50 Public Library Architecture Firms for 2023
Quinn Evans, McMillan Pazdan Smith, PGAL, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and Gensler top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest public library architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Nov 6, 2023
Top 65 Cultural Facility Construction Firms for 2023
Turner Construction, Clark Group, Whiting-Turner, Gilbane, and Holder Construction top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest cultural facilities sector general contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes revenue from all cultural building sectors, including concert venues, art galleries, museums, performing arts centers, and public libraries.
Giants 400 | Nov 6, 2023
Top 60 Cultural Facility Engineering Firms for 2023
KPFF, Arup, Thornton Tomasetti, Tetra Tech, and WSP head BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest cultural facilities sector engineering and engineering architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes revenue from all cultural building sectors, including concert venues, art galleries, museums, performing arts centers, and public libraries.
Giants 400 | Nov 6, 2023
Top 110 Cultural Facility Architecture Firms for 2023
Populous, Gensler, HGA, DLR Group, and Quinn Evans top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest cultural facilities sector architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes revenue from all cultural building sectors, including concert venues, art galleries, museums, performing arts centers, and public libraries.
Mass Timber | Sep 1, 2023
Community-driven library project brings CLT to La Conner, Wash.
The project, designed by Seattle-based architecture firm BuildingWork, was conceived with the history and culture of the local Swinomish Indian Tribal Community in mind.