Overview

The prompt of this project was to design an extension to the Southeast Branch Library in Washington, D.C. This project addresses the conflict between institutional integrity and the politics of architectural style. The library serves a physical encapsulation of the civic pursuit toward knowledge. In contrast, architectural style can be politicized as a tool for communicating not the strength of an institution, but as a means of communicating an agenda that maintains a status quo. At once, the design prompt presents a paradoxical friction between maintaining, upholding, and respecting the institution of the library and updating, challenging, and communicating the inclusion of a broader public.

What does the architecture of a community inhabiting a dying institution look like? It is ruins that have been retrofitted and repurposed by a community. The goal of this project is to create an inclusive community hub that serves everyone’s needs. These ideas are embodied in architecture via a central, multifunctional forum.