Hear about the major transformation that is nearing completion at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, Washington D.C.’s central library, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and opened in 1972. In this prerecorded program, learn from Richard Reyes-Gavilan, the library system’s executive director, Francine Houben, principal of Netherland-based Mecanoo, and Gary Martinez, FAIA, partner, OTJ Architects about the significant design decisions that were taken to update the building to meet the needs of the 21st century, and the challenges of dealing with a historically protected Modernist building. Watch the program on our website.

1.5 LU HSW (AIA) Click here to take the quiz.

This virtual Spotlight on Design program is presented free of charge. In lieu of a program fee, we ask for your support of the National Building Museum. Your donation to The Resilience Campaign will enable the Museum to adapt to these changing times and plan for our reopening. Thank you!

Spotlight on Design is generously supported by the Revada Foundation of the Logan Family. Additional funding for this program is provided by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Image credit: Mecanoo architecten.

In the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.’s activism and calls for action, the National Building Museum shares resources of organizations that are making a difference with regard to equity in the built environment and society as a whole.

Read the powerful racial injustice statement from NOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects).

Sign up for Creative Action Lab’s Redesigners in Action Webinar series- a virtual learning opportunity that brings together people looking to cultivate a mindset that produces action grounded in equity, inclusion, and justice.

Support The Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States; to challenging racial and economic injustice; and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.

Explore the work of Colloqate, a multi-disciplinary and non-profit design justice practice focused on expanding community access to, and building power through, the design of social, civic, and cultural spaces.

Discover the local work of the Neighborhood Design Center, a Maryland-based pioneer in community design, working directly with residents to realize big dreams and redirect resources to the most underserved areas.