DCPL Southwest Neighborhood Library / Perkins and Will

Sustainable First. The first public building in Washington was built using dowel laminated timber (DLT), the new Southwest Library is considered a new landmark in Washington, DC. The Southwest Library incorporates mass timber that complements both the mid-century modern architectural character and bold geometric forms of its neighborhood.  Working with structural engineering firm StructureCraft, the Perkins&Will architects maximized the aesthetic beauty, sustainability, and efficiencies of DLT in design, detailing, and construction.  Although folded roofs are not new, creating them out of dowel laminated timber was, and required close collaboration between the designers and the engineers to bring the concept to life.