mlk renovation design ideas, team 1: mecanoo + martinez and johnson

8/13/2019 MLK Renovation Design Ideas, Team 1: Mecanoo + Martinez and Johnson

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Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial LibraryWashington, D.C.

Mecanoo / Martinez+Johnson ArchitectureConcept plan TEC submittalDelft / Washington, February 7, 2014


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Mecanoo Martinez+Johnson1

Delft / Washington, 7 February 2014

Dear Mr. Abdullah and colleagues:

Mecanoo with Martinez+Johnson Architecture presents a unique paring primed to delivera Next Generation Library project that celebrates MLKs renowned Miesian architecture

while embracing Washington DCs contemporary culture and changing needs. Our teams

collective resources provide for a full range of Architectural design and related services

for the renovation of the library and for entitlements for a possible addition to the

building. Within the scope of these services, we will create a new vision for the Martin

Luther King Jr. Memorial Library that presents innovative opportunities for educational

engagement, delivers a comprehensive arrangement that unies both commercial and

library directives, and is an attractive catalyst for community activity.

In response to these challenges, we present a robust architectural design team with a

broad range of relevant experience together with world-class relevant design abilities,

highly experienced preservation sensitivities, strongly developed process skills, and the

technical expertise necessary to craft and realize the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

Librarys vision for this facility. Ours is a carefully balanced collaboration of leading voices

in architectural design, innovation in public libraries, and experience working in the

District of Columbia. We thoroughly understand the vision of developing a 21stcentury

library within the 20th century facility, transforming it in the process, and maintaining

its historical signicance. We have experience in international collaborations with our

respective partners and sub-consultants and are skilled and experienced within the DC

entitlement process, having undertaken decades of work involving historic resources.

We utilize a proven process of information sharing and consensus building while adhering

to our clients goals and requirements to surpass expectations. Both rms have a high

level of experience working with Building Information Modelling (BIM) to control costs,

to expedite planning, to maintain high quality throughout the design and construction

process, and to provide an efcient maintenance model for long term building operation.

Leading our design effort will be Netherlands-based Mecanoo. Their work often

intervenes within existing building fabric - including modernist landmarks - creating new

and exciting interpretations. The practice designs beautiful public buildings that are

embraced by their users, respect the social and natural environment, and consciously

contribute to the quality of life in urban centers.

Led by founder and creative director Francine Houben FAIA, their award-winninginternational work takes a critical approach that continually examines new problems

instead of familiar architectural mannerisms. For nearly 30 years, Mecanoos compact,

multidisciplinary team has amassed an extraordinary capacity for the critical exploration

of contemporary architecture from a viewpoint unconstrained by set stylistic features.

Through frequent collaborations with international partners and sub-consultants,

unrealized opportunities are unearthed by seeking unexpected solutions for the specics

of programme and context. Each design is considered in terms of its cultural setting, place

and time. With the successful delivery of library projects such as the recently completedLibrary of Birmingham integrated with te REP Theatre (UK), the Delft University of

Technology Library, and other large scale public buildings around the globe, Mecanoo has

designed buildings that are seamlessly integrated with their contexts and that engage

the communities that surround them.

In order to guarantee project success, Mecanoo commits to having people on site

throughout the design and construction phases. As such, Mecanoo will commit to a DC

presence for the duration of the project, ensuring true collaboration with Washington

DC-based Martinez+Johnson Architecture. The rm will share responsibilities with

Mecanoo throughout the project, initially supporting them in the programming,

planning, and design phases, sharing the documentation effort, and then leading

Construction Administration.

In projects across the US and beyond, M+J has regularly teamed with other architectural

companies in a seamless manner, in a variety of roles and relationships. M+J is a design-

oriented practice that consistently leads the documentation/delivery process.

The 20 year old rm has been recognized for design excellence on virtually every one of

their projects, most of which have extensively involved historic buildings including several

mid-20thcentury structures. Principal Thomas E Johnson AIA will lead M+Js efforts as he

has done for other DCPL projects, serving as the primary interface with both DCPL and

Mecanoo. Fellow founding Principal Gary Martinez FAIA will lend his expertise in leading

the entitlements process an public engagement. As most of M+Js work involves existing

structures or work within historic districts, the rm has developed particular expertise in

navigating the citys review and approval processes.

The rm had numerous successfull presentations to the Historic Preservation Review

Board, to the US Commission on Fine Arts, to the National Capital Planning Commission,

and to others. M+J is well known in the preservation community for open and collegial

discussions with staff to HPRB and with the groups who advise them such as Advisory

Neighborhood Commissions.

Working with DCPL, M+J can point to two successful examples of positive community

engagement while leading challenging renovation efforts at the Takoma Library and theGeorgetown Neighborhood Library, the latter a virtual rebuilding of a 1935 regional

library after a major re. Through these efforts, M+J became familiar with the goals of

DCPL in general and on specic projects.

Mecanoo with Martinez+Johnson Architecture collaborates under the notion that the

work we do as architects uplifts humanity [and] has dignity and importance and should

be undertaken with painstaking excellence. (Martin Luther King Jr.)

Cover letter

Thomas E. Johnson AIA

Principal, Martinez+Johnson Arch

Washington DC

In many ways, the library project epitomizes the evolution of libraries need to eminnovation in learning and the changing needs of users, while respecting the past

To understand these challenges, we have spent time exploring the MLK library in

conditions, visiting other libraries in DC, and chatting informally with visitors, an

As a team, we have already undertaken considerable discussion regarding the spe

and opportunities for updating the Mies building, and recent visits to the MLK Li

reinforce and afrm our enthusiasm for the project.

Sincerely,

Francine M. J. Houben FAIA

Principal / Creative Director, Mecanoo

Delft, The Netherlands

Mecanoo Martinez+Johnson


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Content

Cover letter

Concept narrative

Understanding the challenges of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library

Concept for the layout of the next generation library How to combine public and private? An ensemble of a library and residences?

Renovation of a Modernist Monument into a LEED Gold building

Design and entitlements challenges

Library concept plan

Library mixed use concept plan

Signed amendments

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mecanooarchitecten

Oude Delft 203, 2611 HD Delft

The Netherlands

phone +31 (0)15 279 81 00www.mecanoo.nl

[email protected]

MARTINEZ+JOHNSON

ARCHITECTURE

1412 Eye Street, NWWashington, DC 20005

phone (202) 333-4480www.mjarchitecture.com

[email protected]



Concept narrativeUnderstanding the challenges of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library

Visit October 2013

To understand the challenges of the MLK Library, I visit the building at different moments

of the day, on different days of the week in October 2013. How is it used, what are the

problems and opportunities? What is the atmosphere like? What is the lighting like in

the morning, at lunchtime, in the evening just before closing time, or even at night?

It looks like nobody knows how to switch of the lights of the building. I chat with visitors

and staff of the library. I always feel a need to experience the people, the place and

the purpose at rst hand to obtain a further understanding of the documents that we

received about the facts, gures and challenges.

Visit June 19761976 was my rst visit (of many) to Washington. Now in 2013, biking through the city,

I experience how the city center has changed towards a more mixed use district.

One important issue that is under consideration is adding residential apartments to

attract more people to live in this area of the city. A better public realm, but also a new

concept for the MLK Library will play an important role in that mixed use strategy. I chat

with young professionals in the restaurant facing the library. Apparently they have never

even been to the library, so I ask them what is needed to make that happen. I also chat

with empty-nesters who decide to return to the city center, and ask them: what could the

role of a modern library be for you?

As a team, we want to understand the philosophy and ambitions of the DCPL so with

Tom Johnson of M+J we visit several recent libraries in the city. We notice that each

neighborhood has its own library that ts into the atmosphere of its own community.

I believe that the MLK Library should t into the atmosphere of change in the city center.

I realize that part of the assignment is familiar terrain for us. We understand what it is to

create an outstanding, internationally renowned library. We are familiar with Washingtonand working in the USA, as Mecanoo has been working in Boston since 2010. In the

Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, we are currently integrating three historical buildings

into a new Boston School Department - the Dudley Municipal Center - in the midst of a

proactive Afro-American community. We also have considerable experience restoring and

renovating listed monuments and modernist buildings in the Netherlands and abroad.

Visit January 2014

During the second visit in January 2014 we receive more information. We now also visit

the three underground non-public oors of the MLK Library. It makes us aware of the

logistics of the central library and her importance to the branch libraries. We check the

potential of oor A to receive daylight and fresh air through patios along the building.

Yes, this is possible! We visit oor 4 and are again amazed that such a potentially

transparent building is so un-transparent and disorientating. We experience how,

because of the four closed cores, the library does not feel like a public building: the cores

are dark, disorientating, unsafe, illogical, illegible, and massive.

We visit the southeast corner of the 3 rdand 4thoors. Here you experience the amazing

urban and pleasant position of the MLK Library due to the grid shift of G Street NW that

creates a beautiful open view to the 9thStreet NW and the National Portrait Gallery.

We are most excited when we go up on the roof of the library. It is a very cold and clear

day, but we imagine having a great public terrace with owers and plants here on this

sunny southeast corner with a perfect view! At the same moment, we start to think about

the idea of making apartments on top of this library. We would love to live here ourselves

... but how to combine a public building with a private building? Especially on top of a

Mies van der Rohe building?

Miesian principles and library evolution

We receive the Design Guidelines of the MLK Library made to provide a set of formal

guidelines to assist with design and renovation issues of the MLK Library. It explains the

Miesian principles and theories upon which the design is based, the holistic approach,

the recti linearity, symmetry, horizontality, transparency, and open oor plans. A basic,

rational module of 30 feet x 30 feet, governs the design. The guidelines show the original

materials, colors, furnishings and describe Mies specic opinions on exibility and his

use of modern industrial technology. Of course, after 40 years, that is often outdated.To put the book stacks (and not people) along the faade is symbolic of the big evolution

of libraries in the last 40 years from monofunctional purpose to multifunctional use.

Today, the library is a facility where people not only consume but also produce

knowledge. Today, a modern library is rst about people, and then, of course, about

books. The new MLK Library should reect this evolution and be a public space where

people meet and exchange knowledge and ideas.

In the Washingtonia Room, we see the original model for the MLK Library. We notice

some remarkable changes shown in the original design. The main entrance on G Street

NW was meant to be anked by two marble walls in the same line as the faade with

the doors. They were changed to yellowish brick walls that peep out underneath the

canopy, creating an entrance hidden from the public domain, especially from 9 thStreet.

We also found the ramp and the loading and unloading dock to be different. Maybe we

can improve these parts of the buildings that are not very well working in the public realm

of Washington

This recent visit to the building, reading the guidelines, and seeing the old model makesit more clear what strategy we would like to suggest as a working title: the Ten MMMM

Principals (MLK, Mies, Mecanoo, M+J).

The Ten MMMM principals

Martin Luther King Jr. was one of Americas most inuential civil rights activists who

challenged injustice. His passionate but nonviolent protests helped to raise awareness of

social inequalities in America, leading to signicant political change. Martin Luther King

ignited passion for social change. To embody this spirit, our ten principals are:

1. Make a Library Concept Plan for the MLK Library that can be developed either with or

without private developments on top of the building, without inuencing the Library

Concept Plan itself.

2. Make a clear distinction between public and private.

3. Keep Mies: Mies. Or even better: improve Mies in a contemporary Miesian way.

Retain and adhere to the horizontality (and symmetry) of the Miesian principles.

4. Change the two cores next to the main entrance on G Street, radically: take the brick

walls away and replace them by glass with a marble (Miesian) pattern. Make these two

cores very public and transparent, with glass elevators and easy to walk stairs with

interesting sight lines. Utilizing escalators in these cores is also an option, depending

on the daily ow of visitors. In this way, the main entrance becomes not only more

welcoming but a focal point as well.

5. Return the faade to the original condition with one uniform plane. Insert new

glazing, so the entrance will also become visible from 9thStreet. By creating two

patios on this side of the building, the new Center of Innovation and Prototyping on

the lower ground oor can function as an extended ground oor on -1 that w

visible when entering the building.

6. Change the other two cores as well, with an entrance at G Place. Retain the

but remove everything from inside. Transform them into cores exclusively fo

and back of house operations with improved elevators, goods elevators and

and reserve one core for the potential access to and operations for the apart

7. Bring the loading and unloading to the lower ground oor by adjusting the

Make a staff entrance lobby and the optional apartment entrance lobby wit

mailboxes on street level with their entrances on G Place NW.

8. Provide patios (areaways) on the east, north and west sides of the building t

daylight and natural ventilation to the lower ground oor where staff is worthe archive and the logistics.

9. Remove the brick walls in the public realm around the building and make the

transparent so the activities of the library become more visible.

10. Clean up all the oors in the building by taking away all the solid walls. And k

original glass partitions on the D and K column lines.

These are our ideas we want to share with you. They are no dogmatic but startin

for a mutual collaboration. We would love to continue to work with you to help

realize your dream.

Francine Houben

Bringing two strong identities together ...

Martin Luther King Jr: I have a dream

Mies van der Rohe: less is more

Martin Luther King Jr. was one of A

most inuential civil rights activists

challenged injustice. His passionat

but nonviolent protests, helped to

awareness of social inequalities in A

leading to signicant political chan

Martin Luther King ignited passion

social change.

Mies van der Rohe is widely acknowas one of the 20th centurys greates

architects. By emphasizing open sp

using industrial materials in his buil

he helped dene modern architect

His architecture is based on classic

proportions and pure forms that ge

uninterrupted spaces.

... with a contemporary and human touch



MMMM Principal 6: Change the other two cores as well, with an entrance

at G Place. Retain the brick walls, but remove everything from inside.Transform them into cores exclusively for staff and back of house

operations with improved elevators, goods elevators and stairs, and

reserve one core for the potential access to and operations for the

apartments

MMMM Principal 5:Return the faade to the original condition with

one uniform plane. Insert new glazing, so the entrance will also becomevisible from 9th Street. By creating two patios on this side of the

building, the new Center of Innovation and Prototyping on the lower

ground oor can function as an extended ground oor on -1 that will be

visible when entering the building

MMMM Principal 3:Keep Mies: Mies. Or even better: improve Mies in a

contemporary Miesian way. Retain and adhere to the horizontality (and

symmetry) of the Miesian principles

MMMM Principal 4:Change the two cores next to the main entrance on

G Street, radically: take the brick walls away and replace them by glass

with a marble (Miesian) pattern. Make these two cores very public and

transparent, with glass elevators and easy to walk stairs with interesting

sight lines. Utilizing escalators in these cores is also an option, depending

on the daily ow of visitors. In this way, the main entrance becomes notonly more welcoming but a focal point as well

MMMM Principal 8:Provide patios (areaways) on the east, north and

west sides of the building to provide daylight and natural ventilation to

the lower ground oor where staff is working with the archive and thelogistics

MMMM Principal 9:Remove the brick walls in the public realm around

the building and make them transparent so the activities of the library

become more visible

MMMM Principal 10: Clean up all the oors in the building by

taking away all the solid walls. And keep the original glasspartitions on the D and K column lines


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listening, and gaming. There are several small meeting rooms on this oor of var

with glass walls, so the staff can monitor what is occurring in th e rooms. In the m

there will be space for parents/adults as part of the Adult Services, so they are c

their children, even if they are within different areas. In the northeast corner wil

Center for Adaptive Services. Staffs of these departments have their ofce spac

oor. Meeting rooms, team rooms and project rooms with transparent walls are

along the faade to be used by staff and/or visitors.

Introduce the Third Floor as the Reading Floor.This a more classical/tlibrary space with a lot of open book shelving and places to read, study, researc

a long wall totally lled with book shelving is the domain for the Executive Ofc

DCPL the Chief Librarian, direct support staff, and key senior administrators. On

corner is the Board Room for meetings of the Library Trustees. The west side is f

Business Operations and Library Service Administrative Ofces. A staffed rece

area provides access to the ofces, and seating is provided for visitors. The mult

meeting rooms are close to this desk. The Staff directly access the space throug

staff elevator and stairs that lead to the lobby on the ground oor at G Place and

Lounge and Staff Training Lab in the Roof pavilion and the Secret Garden.

Introduce the Fourth Floor as the History and Future Floor.At the wside, we combine the Black Studies Center and the Washingtonia collection. Bo

compact shelving close to their information desk. Exhibition space in the Lobby

oor is as visible as possible. It is also the Conference and Exhibition Floor with

exible meeting rooms in various sizes. With pre-function spaces, storage space

greenrooms and a kitchen and restrooms. With an oval 300-seat auditorium for

and performances next to the Mies restaurant on the southeast corner. Well con

with a special stair to the Mies Caf and roof garden. In this way the History and

Future Floor becomes a destination oor for library visitors as well as for visitors

conference center and the public Discovery Garden.

Introduce a new Roof and Garden Floor. An organic shaped horizontal gives shape to the use of the roof. There is a public Discovery Terrace in the sout

corner with seating elements, performing space, plants and owers, all well con

to the public elevators and stairs. Here is the Mies caf, well connected with a s

stair directly to the Mies restaurant below. There is also a Secret Garden in the n

corner: a garden with herbs, owers and berries. There will be an excellent terr

in front of the Staff Lounge that can be used during breaks or meal-time, all dire

accessible by the staff elevators (and cargo elevator) and stairs. Wouldnt it be n

have also the Staff Training Lab on this inspiring oor? The roof pavilion include

installations, but also the extra vertical space that is necessary for the height of

Auditorium.

1.

6. 7.

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4. 3.

5. 5.

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The lower ground oor as the Innovation Floor

1. Staff (collection management): 9,000 sf

2. Archive and loading dock: 20,600sf

3. Center for innovation and prototyping: 20,500sf

The ground oor as the City Market Floor

1. Main public entrance: 1,700 sf

2. Marketplace: 13,700 sf

3. Caf/coffee bar: 4,700 sf

4. Bookshop retail: 4,700 sf

5. adult services: 12,700 sf

6. staff entrance: 1,100 sf

7. Optional residential entrance: 1,100 sf

The Second Floor as the Educational Floor

1. Adult services: 18,050 sf

2. Childrens Hub: 16,000 sf

3. Center for adaptive services: 6,000 sf

4. Teen area: 10,000 sf

5. staff:7,200 sf

The Third Floor as the Reading Floor

1. Staff: 18,000 sf

2. Adult services : 38,900 sf

The Fourth Floor as the History and Future Floor

1. Meeting and events spaces: 24,970 sf

2. Washingtoniana & black studies: 19,660 sf

3. Caf / restaurant Mies: 5,200 sf

4. Staff: 7,000 sf

A new Roof and Garden Floor

1. Caf / restaurant Mies: 4,760 sf

2. Staff: 5,850 sf

3. Mechanical rooms: 13,200 sf

4. Roof garden: 20,300 sf

Just like society, libraries change constantly. Richard Reyes-Gavilan: When Mies

designed this building in the 1960s, libraries were largely transactional in nature.

You come in, you get a book, you leave. Almost half a century later, libraries aspire to

be more than just transactional spaces, they aspire to be transformational. They have

the ability to make profound differences in the lives of their users, especially the most

vulnerable populations who have few other options for acquiring knowledge.

We should design, adjust, and improve the building in a way that the building will

accommodate CHANGE, even unpredictable change.

In Mies van der Rohe architecture, you experience all oors rather equally. The ground

oor has a very generous height with impressive lighting for the perfect City Lobby.

The second, third, and fourth oors all have the same height. There is a lot of potential

for improving Floor A as a lower ground oor and to make use of the roof. These are our

suggestions:

Introduce the lower ground foor as the Innovation Floor. With on the southside classrooms and workshop spaces to build in, to rebuild in, to experiment in, and

even to make a mess and a lot of noise in. With an industrial concrete oor, and exible,

acoustic walls so the staff can adjust the spaces as many times as needed as part of the

innovation spirit. In the center, the stairs of the two cores transform in two tribunes or

stages: for informal debates, lectures, or just to sit and to chat. This oor does not have

to follow the strict regulations of the Mies Principles! The main part of this lower ground

oor is archival with compact shelving and storage space. Around it, directly facing the

patios are work spaces for the Collection Management: cataloging, processing, receiving,

and shipping of materials to the branch libraries, bookbinding, archiving. They are in

close proximity to the new loading dock on this oor. Also on this oor are the Facilities

Support and Central Supplies.

Introduce the ground foor as the City Market Floor. With a Welcome andSecurity Desk next to the security line, before entering the Market Place, the grand

welcoming area of the MLK Library will have clear sightlines to the two transparentcores, with two big media screens, that contain the public elevators and stairs. It is here

where you can nd the self-charge machines, the self-pick shelves, the displays with the

Librarys newest resources such as the latest titles, media and available e-downloads. In

the middle, between the two closed cores, we open up the Market Place to the North.

Entering the MLK Library, you can clearly see this informal auditorium space for music,

poetry and literature performances with a grand piano and northern daylight. On the

east and the west side are Adult Services, maybe the Popular Library with the newest

materials. Two retail spaces have terraces on the sunny side of G Street, using the

protection of the large canopy. One is a bookstore / caf like the local Kramerbooks and

Afterwords Cafe in Washington and one is a coffee / bar /restaurant like Theatre Caf

Floor in Rotterdam that is exible and interacts with the foyer space and activities in the

main Lobby.

Introduce the Second Floor as the Educational Floor.The east side is for theChildrens Hub. It provides space for collections, technology and other educational and

recreation resources, programs and technology for children from infancy to the age of 12.

The shelving is low so the staff has a good overview. And with iconic furniture elements

in the space, sometimes soft and colorful, resonating the age of the children it is meant

for. The Childrens Hub has an Early Literacy Space with their own computers. And a more

serious School Age Area and an enclosed Story Telling Room that is exible enough to be

also used for other activities. The Childrens Hub has its own toilets. On the west side,

with a view on the dynamics of the city, is the Teen Area for young adults ages 13-19 with

a digital media center and a homework center. There is space for video viewing, audio

natur

mech

exhau

Flood building with daylight and mixed-mode ventilation

Concept narrativeConcept for the layout of the next generation library


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We studied many options for the composition of a grand ensemble: an oval

volume, a cross volume, a rectangular volume, a diagonal oating beam option.

Five considerations are important for us:

a. To keep the proportions of the horizontal Mies building, and not extend the building

vertically.

b. The urban change in the grid of G Street makes the southeast corner of the building

special.

c. Making a part of the roof public accessible, preferably the southeast corner.

d. The awareness that apartments will have another expression in the faade than th e

MLK Library: like lower ceiling heights, (individual) curtains and open windows.

e. Just as the library, we would like to make these apartments in a sust ainable way.

Looking at all these options, for now the diagonal oating beam looks promising to us for

many reasons. It is a modest solution; you almost do not experience it on street level, so italmost doesnt inuence the horizontal Mies composition. The diagonal creates space on

the sunny southeast Public Roof Terrace and to a sunny Secret Garden on the northwest

side for staff. And even part of this Secret Garden could be used for residential, in front of

the residential sky lobby.

The design of the residences

A separate residential core off of G Place NW brings residents to three levels of

apartments housed within an atrium space resplendent with natural light. Transparent

bridges and walkways connect the units within the atrium. The units are mixed as studio

apartments and one and two bedroom units per the suggested matrix.

European-based Mecanoo working in conjunction with American Martinez+Johnson has

developed a unit concept combining their respective cultures and experiences. Perhaps

most notably, the units receive light from two aspects, fronting onto the atrium as well

as the street. Composed of both open and discrete spaces, they all have a strong sense of

arrival. Areas requiring mechanical or plumbing are grouped in an internal zone. The living

spaces and bedrooms explore ideas of community and privacy as they can be separated

or combined by sliding partitions. The dining areas and kitchens have a European idea of

separation, but are scaled to American tastes with full sized appliances and standards.

All units meet Fair Housing requirements. For the apartment as well as for the library

the goal is a LEED Gold rating. This can be achieved by: sustainable, natural and cross

ventilation by introducing a half open atrium space in the central zone of the apartments,

sun protection by sliding louvers, moss sedum roof, solar panels on top of the atrium,

good insulation and acoustics. Study models mix used conceptWest corner on G Street

East corner 9th Street. A diagonal volume almost doesnt inuence the horizontal Mies composition

Concept narrativeHow to combine public and private? An ensemble of a library and residences?

The urban change in the grid of G Street makes the

south-east corner of the building special and offers a view

towards the city


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500 100 2

MecanooMartinez+Johnson6

Library concept plan | Site plan (scale 1/128 = 1)

9ths

treet

G place

G street

10ths

treet

Section library concept plan Section library mixed use concept plan

MMMM Principal 1:Make a Librar y Concept Plan for the MLK Library that can be developed

either with or without private developments on top of the building, without inuencing theLibrary Concept Plan itself

MMMM Principal 2:Make a clear distinction between public and private

MMMM Principal 7:Bring the loading and unloading to the lower ground oor by adjusting the ramps. Make a staff entrancelobby and the optional apartment entrance lobby with mailboxes on street level with their entrances on G Plaza NW.


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Library concept plan | The innovation oor - lower ground oor (level A) (scale 1/32 = 1)

Tribunes as seating for informal lec

Informal lextures

Staff ofces

0 10 20 5


C E N T E R F O R I N N O V A T I O N & P R OTO T Y P I N G

loading bay

storage

facilities support and central supply collection management

patiopatio

patio patio

storagestorage

back of house corridor

A R C H I V E S

(compact shelving)

informallectures

informallectures

classroom

digital learning

meeting room co-working

lab

lab


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0 10 20 5


Library concept plan | The educational oor - level 2 (scale 1/32 = 1)

Individual study / fac

Early childhood litera

Lounging

T E E N A R E A

A D A P T I V E S E R V I C E S

homeworkcenter

lounge

digital media

servicepoint

servicepoint

servicepoint

C H I L D R E NS

H U B

exhibitionexhibition

study/reading/meeting spaces

craft programe

early childhood literacy space

school age area

story time area

individual study

children/teenage/adaptive services staff


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Library concept plan | The reading oor - level 3 (scale 1/32 = 1)0 10 20 5

Service point

Study places

Study and tutoring ro

A D U L T S E R V I C E S A D U L T S E R V I C E S

library system operations staff meeting rooms executive ofces

boardroom llibrarytrustees

chieflibrarian

shelving

exhibition

study and tutoring rooms

shelving

group spaces group spaces

quiet spacesquiet spaces

bookwall bookwall bookwall

staff

desk

bookwall

service

point

service

point

service

point

individualstudy

individualstudy


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Library concept plan | The history and future oor - level 4 (scale 1/32 = 1)0 10 20 5

auditorium

Mies Restaurant

stair to roof

F O Y E R

M E E T I N G & E V E N T

S P A C E

cloakroom

storage

MLK painting

green room/ dressign rooms/ storage/ pre-function

W A S H I N G T O N I A

B L A C K S T U D I E S

reader area

reader area

meetingandeventspace

exhibtion

Mies van der Rohe lounge

meetingandeventspace

Martin Luther King painting

Auditorium

Restaurant with heal


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Library concept plan | The roof garden oor - level 5 (scale 1/32 = 1)0 10 20 5

auditorium(open to below)

secretgarden

secret

garden

discoverygarden(public)

public hall

mechanical room

mechanical room

barbar

caf

staff lounge

staff training lab


The Public Discovery

The Secret Garden fo


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Library concept plan | East-west section (scale 1/32 = 1)0 10 20 50ft


MMMM Principal 4:Change the two cores next to the main entrance on G Street, radically: take the brick

walls away and replace them by glass with a marble (Miesian) pattern. Make these two cores very public and

transparent, with glass elevators and easy to walk stairs with interesting sight lines. Utilizing escalators in

these cores is also an option, depending on the daily ow of visitors. In this way, the main entrance becomes

not only more welcoming but a focal point as well

MMMM Principal 8:Provide patios (areaways) on the east, north and west sides of the building to providedaylight and natural ventilation to the lower ground oor where staff is working with the archive and the

logistics

MMMM Principal 9:Remove the brick walls in the public realm around the building and make them

transparent so the activities of the library become more visible


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Library concept plan | North-south section (scale 1/32 = 1)0 10 20 50ft

G streetG place


MMMM Principal 3:Keep Mies: Mies. Or even better: improve Mies in a contemporary Miesian way.

Retain and adhere to the horizontality (and symmetry) of the Miesian principles library become more visible

MMMM Principal 10: Clean up all the oors in the building by taking away all the solid walls.

And keep the original glass partitions on the D and K column lines


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Library concept plan | Parking oor (level B) (s cale 1/32 = 1)0 10 20 5

bike parkingbike parking access staff optionalresidential

access


1. Car and bycicle parking garage

- library use: 47 parking places

- residents: 79 parking places

1


21/29

Library mixed use concept plan | Site plan ( scale 1/128 = 1)MecanooMartinez+Johnson16

500 100 2

The urban change in the grid of G Street makes the southeast corner of the building special

9ths

treet

G place

G street

10thstreet

Section library concept plan Section library mixed use concept plan

MMMM Principal 1:Make a Librar y Concept Plan for the MLK Library that can be developed

either with or without private developments on top of the building, without inuencing theLibrary Concept Plan itself

MMMM Principal 2:Make a clear distinction between public and private


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Library mixed use concept plan | The roof garden oor - level 5 (scale 1/32 = 1)0 10 20 5

Auditorium(open to below)

secret

garden

secretgarden

barbar

publicdiscovery

terrace

public hall

mechanical room

mechanical room

escape corridor residental

escape corridor residental

mechanical roomstaff lounge

staff training lab




23/29

Library mixed use concept plan | Mixed use- level 7 (scale 1/32 = 1)0 10 20 5

discovery garden

secret garden

atrium


A. efciency (studio app

B. 1 bedroom appartmen

C. 2 bedrooms appartme

Level 6

Level 8

Level 7


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9thStreet

0 10 20 50ft


Library mixed use concept plan | East-west section - G place (scale 1/32 = 1)

MMMM Principal 7: Bring the loading and unloading to the lower ground oor by adjusting the ramps.

Make a staff entrance lobby and the optional apartment entrance lobby with mailboxes on street level

with their entrances on G Place NW.

MMMM Principal 8: Provide patios (areaways) on the east, north and west sides of the building to provide

daylight and natural ventilation to the lower ground oor where staff is working with the archive and the

logistics.

MMMM Principal 9: Remove the brick walls in the public realm around the building and make them

transparent so the activities of the library become more visible.


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mecanooarchitecten

Oude Delft 203, 2611 HD Delft

The Netherlands

phone +31 (0)15 279 81 00www.mecanoo.nl

contact [email protected]

MARTINEZ+JOHNSON

ARCHITECTURE

1412 Eye Street, NWWashington, DC 20005

phone (202) 333-4480www.mjarchitecture.com

contact [email protected]

mlk renovation design ideas, team 1: mecanoo + martinez and johnson

Documents