25-08-2017, 09:32 PM
Library Feasibility Study
[attachment=29882]
Introduction
The modern library is evolving in bold new ways to meet
the current and future needs of the 21st Century. In the
District of Columbia, the vision for a new public library
system is one that will, “serve the people of Washington, be
a safe and inviting place for learning and a welcome site for
community gathering.” To shape this vision, the Mayor’s
Task Force on the Future of the District of Columbia Public
Library System, in its draft recommendations A Blueprint
for Change, proposes to develop state-of-the-art facilities
that would provide world class service to DC residents.
Leading the upgrade of the library system would be a new
Central Library envisioned to, “serve as a visible statement
about the value of reading, education, and lifelong
learning,” and provide, “a key civic space that residents
use throughout their lifetime.”
Scope of the Study
This study was undertaken on behalf of the District of
Columbia Public Library Foundation. The purpose of the
study is to determine the feasibility of constructing a 21st
Century Central Library at Mount Vernon Square, which
is the current site of the historic Carnegie Library building.
Mount Vernon Square was the location of the District’s
original Central Library from 1903 until 1972, when it was
relocated to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library.
Design Concept
This building feasibility study considers a conceptual
massing design concept for a new Central Library at the
Mount Vernon Square site prepared by Polshek Partnership
Architects. To accommodate the building program for
a state-of-the-art library, the design concept envisions
reusing the Carnegie Library building and adding new
structures on the north, east and west side of the Carnegie
Library. The southern side of the Carnegie Library would
remain open.
Zoning
Mount Vernon Square is located on Square 403N, zoned
for government use (GOV). Development of the square
is not subject to zoning regulations because of its federal
ownership. However, redevelopment of the site may be
influenced by nearby zoned properties that are located
within the Downtown Development District Overlay
District (DD). The DD overlay takes precedence over
any underlying zoning in the area and permits incentive
requirements for developments with a maximum FAR of
6.0 to 10.0, a maximum height of 130 feet (in accordance
with the Buildings Height Act of 1910), and maximum lot
occupancy of 100 percent.
Urban Design Characteristics
Mount Vernon Square is a prominent open space located at
the convergence of Massachusetts and New York Avenues,
two of the city’s most significant and high-volume diagonal
streets. It is also situated on the 8th Street axis.
The square includes two combined city blocks within
Washington, DC’s rectilinear street grid and it is located at
the seam between two general character areas. The areas
towards the south, east and west reflect a denser pattern
of development, with taller and more dominant buildings;
whereas, the area to the north (with the exception of the
Convention Center) consists of lower-density development,
where building are lower (three- to five-stories) and
smaller in scale.
[attachment=29882]
Introduction
The modern library is evolving in bold new ways to meet
the current and future needs of the 21st Century. In the
District of Columbia, the vision for a new public library
system is one that will, “serve the people of Washington, be
a safe and inviting place for learning and a welcome site for
community gathering.” To shape this vision, the Mayor’s
Task Force on the Future of the District of Columbia Public
Library System, in its draft recommendations A Blueprint
for Change, proposes to develop state-of-the-art facilities
that would provide world class service to DC residents.
Leading the upgrade of the library system would be a new
Central Library envisioned to, “serve as a visible statement
about the value of reading, education, and lifelong
learning,” and provide, “a key civic space that residents
use throughout their lifetime.”
Scope of the Study
This study was undertaken on behalf of the District of
Columbia Public Library Foundation. The purpose of the
study is to determine the feasibility of constructing a 21st
Century Central Library at Mount Vernon Square, which
is the current site of the historic Carnegie Library building.
Mount Vernon Square was the location of the District’s
original Central Library from 1903 until 1972, when it was
relocated to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library.
Design Concept
This building feasibility study considers a conceptual
massing design concept for a new Central Library at the
Mount Vernon Square site prepared by Polshek Partnership
Architects. To accommodate the building program for
a state-of-the-art library, the design concept envisions
reusing the Carnegie Library building and adding new
structures on the north, east and west side of the Carnegie
Library. The southern side of the Carnegie Library would
remain open.
Zoning
Mount Vernon Square is located on Square 403N, zoned
for government use (GOV). Development of the square
is not subject to zoning regulations because of its federal
ownership. However, redevelopment of the site may be
influenced by nearby zoned properties that are located
within the Downtown Development District Overlay
District (DD). The DD overlay takes precedence over
any underlying zoning in the area and permits incentive
requirements for developments with a maximum FAR of
6.0 to 10.0, a maximum height of 130 feet (in accordance
with the Buildings Height Act of 1910), and maximum lot
occupancy of 100 percent.
Urban Design Characteristics
Mount Vernon Square is a prominent open space located at
the convergence of Massachusetts and New York Avenues,
two of the city’s most significant and high-volume diagonal
streets. It is also situated on the 8th Street axis.
The square includes two combined city blocks within
Washington, DC’s rectilinear street grid and it is located at
the seam between two general character areas. The areas
towards the south, east and west reflect a denser pattern
of development, with taller and more dominant buildings;
whereas, the area to the north (with the exception of the
Convention Center) consists of lower-density development,
where building are lower (three- to five-stories) and
smaller in scale.