WASHINGTON — The District of Colombia has been pushing to build, improve and refurbish the city's libraries, and Mayor Muriel Bowser has broken ground on a new facility in Southwest, D.C.
Construction began at the building site on Feb. 5. The new library is being built and designed by Perkins+Will Turner Construction Company. Builders are seeking LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification for the facility.
"D.C. families know how important neighborhood libraries are, not only as free, educational resources for their children, but also as centers for building stronger, more connected communities," Bowser said. "The commitment we are making with this new Southwest Library -- and libraries across all eight wards -- represents our belief that every resident should have access to opportunity. With these beautiful new facilities, along with world-class resources and programming, our libraries are delivering for residents every day."
The new learning space is set to have amenities such as a community meeting room, three conference rooms, four study rooms, separate areas for children, teens, and adults, an outdoor reading porch and an Innovation Lab with 3-D printers.
The DC Department of Parks and Recreation will provide $500,000 to enhance an outdoor reading porch. Additionally, the DC Department of the Environment and Energy is providing a $960,000 grant to fund solar panels and battery storage into the building’s green vegetative roof.
During the construction of the SW library, an interim library will provide services at 425 M St. SW.
While this library may be the only one in the District that is currently being built from the ground up, there are many other learning facilities being renovated throughout the city.
A new Lamond-Riggs library is planned to be constructed later in the year and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library is set to reopen after a three-year, $211 million modernization.