Congress Heights Library

The new Congress Heights Library in Washington, D.C will provide a new community hub, enhancing local history and culture. Situated directly above the Congress Heights Metro Station, the site presents unique structural challenges due to the metro tunnel running 40 ft below grade. The library transforms a former parking lot into an accessible public space designed to integrate three neighborhoods – Congress Heights, Parklands, and St. Elizabeth’s East – while achieving Net-Zero energy performance through on-site photovoltaic solar panels, geothermal wells, and mass timber construction. It is only blocks away from the Sycamore & Oak project in the St. Elizabeth's neighbourhood, where early community involvement sessions were held for the new library.

The building comprises two primary wings connected by a central marketplace, facilitating community circulation from northwest to southeast with a dual entry system. Each wing houses learning spaces such as reading rooms and entrepreneurial hubs, opening onto two landscaped interior courtyards that provide safe outdoor environments and natural daylighting. The building’s façade draws inspiration from nearby historic structures, integrating brick and terracotta elements.

Structurally, the building employs a hybrid timber system featuring a mixture of acoustic mass timber and plywood/purlin panels, supported by a distinctive two-way glulam lattice. This “buddy lattice” structure minimizes column density, critical for reducing foundation impacts on the metro tunnel beneath. Steel and timber columns are located strategically at courtyard perimeters, with lateral stability achieved through braced frames.