by Natasha Abbas, DC North
It’s been an uphill battle from the very start, but it looks like Shaw will get the library it hoped for after all.
DC Public Libraries (DCPL) Public Information Officer George Williams has confirmed that the design plans for the new Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Neighborhood Library slated to open at Eighth Street and Rhode Island Avenue NW will once again include glass.
Closed in December 2004, the new Shaw Neighborhood Library was originally planned to reopen in 2006. Following a series of community meetings about the library, design plans were presented in January of this year. The original design, which consisted of an exterior composed of channel glass, was met with favorable response from the community, but to the dismay of many, DCPL presented revised plans this summer, which replaced much of the glass with metal panels that many said too closely resembled the old Watha T. Daniel library.
In response to an e-mail from Shaw Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Alex Padro inquiring about the reason for the design revisions, Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper was empathetic to community members’ objection to the replacement of the proposed translucent glass exterior with metal panels and cited cost concerns as the primary reason for the design alteration, due in part to the discovery of a Metro tunnel underneath the site of the future library – raising the cost of construction – as well as the cost of channel glass, which library officials estimated at $1.5 million.
“Channel glass is difficult to fabricate and install well – each curved piece is joined with insulation blown into the channel. Because of this difficulty, this cost will likely increase. There are reasons other than cost to use some other material. Though the glass is tempered, a rock will chip it. Repair is difficult and requires special skills,” explained Cooper.
Public Information Officer George Williams told DC North that the solution has been to use a frosted glass, a similar – and less costly – alternative to channel glass that will likely achieve the same effect.
“The library has always wanted to maintain the translucent appeal of the Watha T. Daniel Library. The question was about finding a material that would give the same effect of the channel glass while remaining in the budget,” said Williams.
This latest revision comes as welcome news for many community members.
“Cooper is to be thanked for listening to the community's concerns and working with the architects to ensure the transparency that was so lauded when the initial design was presented in January was restored,” said Commissioner Alex Padro in an e-mail to the community.
But some library advocates believe there is still room for improvement in the design. Robin Diener, director of the DC Library Renaissance Project, which organized an Aug. 16 “read in” in front of the O Street Giant about the Shaw library design, told DC North, “We are glad to see the glass returned to the design. … The public requires not just an updated exterior but a set of truly 21st-century library features services and programs to meet the needs of District residents.”
Other improvements that the DC Library Renaissance Project are calling for in the library design include a more distinctive entrance, prominent security, a café, green elements, a dedicated computer training lab, and space for adult literacy programming and senior activities. Diener said the DC Library Renaissance Project is hoping there will be an opportunity for another community meeting in addition to the Sept. 4 meeting to garner community input on the latest design.
According to Williams, the next step will be to get community input at the Sept. 4 community meeting. (This meeting took place after this issue went to press.)
“The way our process works is designs are not finalized until they are presented to the community,” said Williams. “We know we are looking at frosted glass, but the community needs to weigh in.”
Currently, the groundbreaking for the new library is slated to take place this fall, and the building is scheduled to be completed in December 2009, with the library set to open in March 2010.
For more information about the latest Shaw Neighborhood Library design, visit www.dclibrary.org. For more information about the DC Library Renaissance Project call 202-387-8030.
Original Source Here
[ we think the author is referring to Archie Williams, not George Williams in this article ]