Urban Mid-Atlantic: Libraries: Setting a new standard for avant-garde urban design?

Part II- Washington D.C. & Montgomery County, MD

This article one part of a multi-segment series titled The Urban Transformation, which takes a look at how certain public institutions and private businesses are adapting to nascent urban environments

Acknowledging the importance of public libraries, a number of local governments across the nation have proceeded with ambitious plans to dramatically modernize their libraries to accommodate, rather than fall victim to, the digital age. One library in San Antonio, Texas has even abandoned books entirely, becoming "all digital." In the DC Metro Area, both the District of Columbia and Montgomery County public library systems have sought to revolutionize their respective libraries with new, architecturally-striking buildings designed to emphasize the "community meeting place" and "digital information access" functions of libraries.

District of Columbia Public Libraries

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, NW Washington D.C.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia

A number of older DC's libraries already have distinct architecture, such as the international-style Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe which serves as the main facility for the District of Columbia Public Libraries (DCPL) system. However, until recently the majority of the system's libraries have the "traditional" bland, boxy, cramped, uninspired, library design Over the past several years though, 14 of DCPL's 24 libraries have been rebuilt or renovated as part of the library system's ambitious "Library Building Program" with several more renovations, rebuilds, and expansions planned. The program sought to build "21st-century" libraries through community input by conducting community meetings, outreach activities, and focus groups. As a result each library is tailored to its specific surrounding community and no two libraries are the same.

The library system sought environmentally-friendly LEED Silver certifications for each new library by including "green" features such as vegetative green roofs, materials with high recycled content, “smart” plumbing fixtures, “smart” light fixtures, and drought-resistant landscaping. The ultimate objective of the program is to create "destinations; places for learning and meeting that [are] welcoming and comfortable for the whole community." While the exterior design of buildings will maximize visibility and be pleasing, inside the libraries provide 80,000 books and other library materials, public access computers, laptop computers for training and individual use,wi-fi access, community meeting spaces, and conference/quiet study rooms.

Some of the more architecturally impressive new libraries in Washington D.C.:

Francis A. Gregory Library
Photo Credit: DC Mud

Francis A. Gregory Library, SE DC
Photo Credit: DC Mud

Francis A. Gregory Library
Photo Credit: DC Mud

Anacostia Library
Photo Credit: Anderson Krygier, Inc.

Anacostia Library, SE DC
Photo Credit: Anderson Krygier, Inc.

Anacostia Library
Photo Credit: Freelon

Benning/Dorothy I. Height Library, NE DC
Photo Credit: Paúl Rivera – archphoto

Benning/Dorothy I. Height Library
Photo Credit: Paúl Rivera – archphoto

Tenley/Friendship Library, NW DC
Photo Credit: Harvard School of Design

Tenley/Friendship Library
Photo Credit: DC Mud

Tenley/Friendship Library

Photo Credit: DCPL

Tenley/Friendship Library

Photo Credit: DC Mud

William O. Lockridge/Bellevue Library, SW DC
Photo Credit: Eric Taylor

William O. Lockridge/Bellevue Library
Photo Credit: Jeffrey Sauers

William O. Lockridge/Bellevue Library (int)
Photo Credit: DC Mud

William O. Lockridge/Bellevue Library
Photo Credit: DC Mud

William O. Lockridge/Bellevue Library
Photo Credit: Jeffrey Sauers

Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Library
Photo Credit: Paúl Rivera

Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Library
Photo Credit: DCPL

Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Library, NE DC
Photo Credit: Forrester Construction

Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Library
Photo Credit: DCPL

Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Library
Photo Credit: DCPL

Future DC libraries still in the planning stages:

Woodbridge Library, NE DC (opening 2015)
Photo Credit: DCPL

West End Library, NW DC
Photo Credit: DCPL

Existing DC libraries in DC with classic Georgian architecture that have recently undergone renovations:

Georgetown Library, NW DC
Photo Credit: DCPL

Petworth Library, NW DC
Photo Credit: DCPL

Montgomery County Public Libraries
While the Facilities Plan Initiative of Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) in Montgomery County, MD isn't as ambitious as DC's it does include some standout projects. Rather than rebuilding or extensively renovating all of the library system's 21 branches, MCPL is taking a three-tier 'refresh, rebuild, or redesign [replace]" approach. Currently, two of the system's branches are undergoing extensive rebuilding/renovation and one is being replaced by a brand new facility. In addition, two new replacement branches have opened over the past 5 years with another in the planning stages as well as two future renovations. The designs of the new Montgomery County libraries are noticeably more conservative compared to DC's ultra-contemporary designs, but still pleasing nonetheless. The new/remodeled libraries are also significantly larger than their predecessors, especially in the case of the new $70 million Silver Spring branch. Even more importantly, some of the designs in the suburban-turning-urban county adopt a more urban character than the branches they replace.

Images of some of the new MCPL branches:

Germantown Library (opened 2007)
Photo Credit: Germantown Patch

Germantown Library
Photo Credit: Library of Congress

Rockville Memorial Library (opened 2006)
Photo Credit: MCPL

Rockville Memorial Library
Photo Credit: MCPL

Silver Spring Library (opening late 2014)
Photo Credit: Montgomery County

Silver Spring Library
Photo Credit: Montgomery County

Gaithersburg Library (opening Jan 2014)
Photo Credit: Montgomery County

Olney Library (opening Jan 2014)
Photo Credit: Montgomery County

New York City hasn't been missing out on the new library trend and the New York Public Library system currently has 18 new branches planned across its three official library zones of Brooklyn, Queens, and New York (which includes the Bronx and Staten Island). Here are a few of the city's recently constructed libraries: