D.C. PUBLIC LIBRARY ANNOUNCES ARCHITECTURAL TEAMS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT:
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Monica Lewis, 202/727-1186
Kandace Foreman, 202/727-3293
D.C. PUBLIC LIBRARY ANNOUNCES TWO ARCHITECTURAL TEAMS WILL DESIGN FOUR
NEW NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARIES
(Washington, DC) – During a press conference today at the Anacostia
Interim Library, Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper announced that Davis
Brody Bond Aedas and The Freelon Group, Inc., in partnership with local
architect R. McGhee & Associates, have been selected to lead the
architectural design teams for the new Anacostia, Benning,
Tenley-Friendship and Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Neighborhood Libraries. Both
teams include local firms as consultants for civil, landscaping, and
mechanical, electrical, plumbing services, which comprise more than 40%
of each design team. Construction on the combined $37 million library
project is scheduled to begin in mid summer 2008, with the libraries due
to open in 2010.
The architectural teams were chosen because they exceeded standards set
forth by the D.C. Public Library and the District's Office of
Contracts and Procurement (OCP). The standards included having
experience in designing modern libraries, experience with sustainable
design and could meet the city's new LEED standards, creating spaces
that inspire human interaction, having effectively worked with community
groups to develop design, and having a sizeable portion of the design
team include local LSDBE firms. The teams were selected from more than
60 firms that are part of the Library and OCP's design firm
database.
"With these great architects and engineers, we will design
exceptional spaces for neighborhood libraries in the District of
Columbia. I am eager to begin the building process with these talented
teams," said Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper. "The neighborhood
libraries are so important. We are committed to opening wonderful
libraries and to involving the neighbors the process."
The Davis Brody Bond Aedas Team, which includes local consultants Delon
Hampton, JVP Engineering, Lee and Papa, MLCA and Polysonic, will design
the Benning Neighborhood Library and the Watha T. Daniel/Shaw
Neighborhood Library. The Freelon Group, Inc. and R. McGhee &
Associates Team, which includes local consultants Delon Hampton, John J.
Christie and Associates, and L.S. Caldwell & Associates, will
design the
Anacostia Neighborhood Library and Tenley-Friendship Neighborhood
Library.
The four new libraries will be designed as stand-alone buildings. They
will be designed larger than the existing branch libraries and in the
range of 18,000 – 20,000 square feet.
Davis Brody Bond Aedas is one of the United States' leading
architectural design practices. Their work brings strong, successful
designs to complex building and planning projects including libraries,
university facilities, museums and performing arts centers, research
laboratories, corporate and industrial buildings, and residential
complexes. The firm's portfolio
includes the restoration and expansion of the historic New York Public
Library, the Baruch College Library and Technology Center, the Juilliard
School Library at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Birmingham
Civil Rights Institute, and the Eskind Library at Vanderbilt University.
Davis Brody Bond Aedas is currently designing the World Trade Center
Memorial Museum and is executing the design of the Memorial site.
Peter Cook, Associate Partner of Davis Brody Bond Aedas,
said, "My family has been part of the fabric of the District of
Columbia for generations so I am truly honored to be working with the
Library on these special projects. These are projects that touch the
collective soul of the community."
The Freelon Group, Inc., has been involved in a range of projects
diverse in scale, building type and scope. The firm has specialized
design expertise in the areas of Libraries, Science and Technology, and
Museum/Cultural Center facilities. Some of their recent design work
includes the Durham County Regional Library Prototype - East and North
Branches, NC; Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco, CA; Sonja
Haynes Stone Black Cultural Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel
Hill. R. McGhee & Associates, a local Washington, DC firm, has
joined
The Freelon Group, Inc., on the architectural design team.
Philip Freelon, President of The Freelon Group, said, "The community
will play an integral part in the design phase – engaging the
community is a needed hands-on part of the process. We really focus in
on projects that have a tangible, positive impact on the community in
which they are located."
Ronnie McGhee, Principal of R. McGhee & Associates, said, "We look
forward to getting involved with community groups to find out what your
needs are so that the new libraries are signature pieces within the
neighborhoods.
"
Councilmember Yvette Alexander (Ward 7) attended
today's press conference and said, "I have pledged to fight to
have our libraries reopened. Today's announcement is a step in the
right direction. The Anacostia Interim Library is fascinating - it
shows what the possibilities are – so I know when the permanent
libraries open, they too will be spectacular gathering places."
Above and beyond the basic services of civil engineering,
architectural design, structural engineering and mechanical, electrical,
and plumbing design, the teams also are required to provide eleven
additional design services, eight of which are library-related. The
additional design services include: site planning and urban design;
interior design; landscape design; audio-visual and broadcast technology
design; lighting design; communications/data systems; vertical
transportation; code consulting; ADA consulting; security systems
design; and cost estimating.
The two teams will be managed by the D.C. Public Library's Capital
Construction department and contract specialists within OCP. The design
and community input phase of the building project will begin on August 1
and will take approximately 10 months to complete.
Monica Lewis
Director of Marketing and Communications
District of Columbia Public Library
901 G Street, NW - Room 409
Washington, DC 20001
Tel 202 727 1186 / Fax 202 724 8568
m.lewis@dc.gov
<mailto:m.lewis@dc.gov>
/ www.dclibrary.org
<http://www.dclibrary.org/>
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