2021 World Design Award
The Architecture Community
DC Southwest Neighborhood Library
Project facts
- Client
- DC Public Library
- Architect
- Perkins&Will
- Design-Build General Contractor
- Turner Construction
- Size
- $18M / 25,000 sf.
- Sustainability
- LEED Platinum
- Location
- Washington, D.C., USA
- Status
- Completed 2020
- Our involvement
- Structural Engineer of Record
Design-Build Subcontractor
Photography & imagery
- Completed photography
- James Steinkamp; Jeff Allen
- Diagrams / renders
- Diagrams: StructureCraft; Renders: Perkins&Will
Pavilion on the Park
The new DC Southwest Library brings a sustainable and unique design to replace the previous outdated library. The community needed a library that could provide state-of-the-art technology, a place for training, education and workforce development, and vitality. The design-build team engaged the community at many levels to obtain crucial feedback that informed and inspired the design solution.
The mass timber building is capped by a folded-plate roof of dowel-laminated timber (DLT). Supporting the steel and timber lateral system were glulam beams and columns with detailed timber-to-steel connections. The Library achieved LEED Platinum Status, implementing sustainable strategies such as regionally sourced material, solar panels on the green roof, and timber throughout.
StructureCraft was a member of the Design-Build team and provided structural engineer of record services, in addition to the supply and installation of the superstructure: a folded plate dowel-laminated timber roof supported by a glulam / steel substructure and a hybrid timber and steel braced frame. We are delighted to see Perkins&Will's beautiful design vision realized for this warm, inviting community space.
This project is one of 6 we have contributed to in Washington DC, including the upcoming Congress Heights Library, also a Design-Build project with Perkins&Will and Turner Construction. This continued collaboration is a testament to the quality of service provided to DC Public Libraries by our joint team.
An emphasis on connection to the surrounding community has shaped the design development process. The library’s design strives to highlight the new park adjacent to the project, provide a sense of arrival, feature a flexible pedestrian plaza, offer a sustainable site, maximize connection to the outdoors, and allow ample natural light.Perkins + Will
Engineering Process
The library’s distinctive form is capped with a roofline inspired by the bold mid-century shapes found in DC’s Southwest neighborhood. The “crinkle” folded plate bears similarities to historical cast-in-place concrete roof outlines of the 1950s but without the burden of formwork and with a nod towards modern connection technology and low-carbon materials. The result is a series of dowel laminated wood panels that create a unique building massing and a memorable space within.
The whole project team faced and overcame several key challenges throughout the design and construction process. Creating a beautiful timber structure on a tight budget meant integrating an efficient foundation design with the timber superstructure to reduce overall project cost.
The innovative shape of the long-span folded plate roofs created a particular challenge for both the structural engineering and construction of these complex elements. The use of dowel-laminated timber in a folded-plate structure required complex non-linear finite element analysis to enable prediction of stresses and structural behavior of the folded plate.
Combining steel and timber braced frames into a hybrid lateral force-resisting system required close analysis of the two materials’ different strengths. The finished result was a minimal, aesthetic design that met the architectural vision while incorporating both materials.
Fabrication
BIM (Building Information Modeling) played a key role in the construction of the DC Southwest Library. This allowed a highly detailed 3D fabrication model to be used by both designers and constructors – the onsite team used it extensively. BIM also allowed proactive clash detection and penetration coordination amongst all trades, which is particularly important in a prefabricated highly exposed timber structure. The BIM model drove the manufacturing of Glulam, DLT, and steel and produced detailed piece shop drawings for each element. Small chamfers were added to edges of the half modules fabricated in the shop to ensure the elements remained within legal width limits for trucking cross-continent.
It was a challenge to coordinate the job with all the other projects going through the StructureCraft shop simultaneously, but the fabrication itself was straightforward. The shop team created a jig to make sure the carriers (ridge beams and purlins) were in the correct positions for each half of the folded plate roof. Teamwork was crucial, as many in the shop aided the fabrication to provide a seamless fit for all components. The carriers had steel rods lengthwise that needed to be epoxied to join them together. In addition, jigs were fabricated for site assembly.
Erection
Erection was rapid: a small crew of timber specialists set the glulam and all sections of the DLT folded plate roof in a matter of weeks. Because of the extensive prefabrication, all the complex work was done off site, and elements were shipped ready to “click” into place.
Using a unique prefabrication plan, two halves of each gable, up to 70ft long and 20ft wide, were assembled into self-supporting sections of the folded plate, then erected as a single piece. At the intersection of the sloping folded roof plate and the flat DLT roof panels, angled notches allowed the flat portions to slide seamlessly under the folded plate. Notches were also required around various columns and at steel braced frame connections.
From initial form and design to engineering, prefabrication, and installation, the entire team came together around this complex challenge and delivered successfully on the unique architectural form.
Gallery
Awards (29)
2021 Excellence in Structural Engineering
Outstanding Award - New Buildings < $30M
NCSEA
2021 Excellence in Structural Engineering
SEE Award - New Buildings < $30M
NCSEA
2021 Best in Engineering Award of Excellence
DBIA National
2021 Civic/Assembly Award of Merit
DBIA National
2021 Gold - Wood in Architecture
World Architectural News Awards
2021 Finalist - Civic - Libraries,
Museums and the Arts
World Architectural News Awards
2021 Excellence in Design Award
DBIA-MAR
2021 Design-Build Award
DBIA-MAR
2021 Award of Merit
AIA Northern Virginia
2021 Best Project for Excellence in
Sustainability ↗
ENR MidAtlantic
2021 Award of Merit | Cultural/Worship - Best Projects ↗
ENR MidAtlantic
2021 Best of the Best: Building
NAIOP DC
2021 Best Institutional Facility
NAIOP DC
2021 Best Project - Design-Build $16M-$30M
AGC - DC
2021 Award for Outstanding Project
(Less than 200,000 sqft)
Lambda Alpha International, George Washington Chapter
2021-22 Sansin Sponsorship Award
Wood Design & Building Awards
2022 Wood Design Awards,
Institutional Wood Design
WoodWorks
2022 Finalist | Institutional - Libraries
Architizer A+ Awards
2022 Community Leader Award | Climate Champion
USGBC National Capital Region
2022 People's Choice
USGBC National Capitol Region
2021 Global Awards, Bronze Award Winner, Humanitarian Category
International Federation of Interior Architects
2022 Mid-Atlantic Chapter Premiere Design Awards, Education Category
IIDA MAC
2023 Excellence in Institutional Architecture Project Award
Urban Land Institute - Washington
2023 Interior Architecture Award
AIA Interior Architecture Awards
2022 Civic / Public Category Winner
ICFF 42nd Annual Interiors Awards
2022 Chapter Design Awards, Architecture
AIA DC
2022 Wood Design & Building Awards, Non-residential
Canadian Wood Council
2021 Award of Merit, Institutional Architecture
AIA Northern Virginia
In the press
DCPL Southwest Neighborhood Library / Perkins&Will ↗
ArchDaily
Mass Timber Build: Southwest DC Neighborhood Library ↗
Turner Construction · April 10, 2023
Award of Merit Cultural/Worship and Excellence in Sustainability Best Project: Southwest Neighborhood Library ↗
Engineering News-Record
Pavilion in the Park ↗
STRUCTURE magazine · August 1, 2022
Take A Peek Inside The Newly Renovated Southwest Library ↗
DCist · May 13, 2021
