Library Buildings around the World

“living room of the city”, a meeting and conversation place, where to leaf through a newspaper, have a coffee or browse a magazine,
read a book or surf the web. (Alterstudio)
MedaTeca, Meda – Italy 2008 - 2012
New library and public archives, Meda, 2008 – 2012, Client: Municipality of Meda, Library gross surface area: 1.910 sqm I
Cost of works: 1.750.000,00 € I
The construction of a new library has provided the opportunity to recover an ugly building, owned by the municipality and left
unfinished since the Eighties, while also radically rethinking the library services themselves. Thus the new library truly becomes a
significant social catalyst for the city and its community life. Although subject to severe constraints (the structure first and foremost),
the project rethinks the container as made for the content, modifying façades, volumes, morphological and material characteristics
to achieve an expressive architecture capable of communicating the new public mission of the building. Everything combines to
define the function of a new ‘urban condenser’: the design, materials and colours of the façades; its wide windows overlooking the
street, behind which the spiral stairs wind sculpturally, connecting the floors. As all floors have a small surface area, five levels were
needed to develop the structure: to make up for this unfortunate internal articulation and to invite users to explore the whole
building, each floor overlooks the adjacent ones and there are double height spaces with overhead lighting. The entrance area
(what’s new, music and performing arts, topical issues) is located on ground floor and the first underground level; the first floor
hosts the children’s section; open-shelf areas and reading spaces occupy the second and third floor; at the second underground level
there is a conference and party hall and a warehouse. The building is completed by an equipped study room on the first
underground floor (with a view of the gardens) and a panoramic reading terrace. (Alterstudio)
also: (http://www.archdaily.com/224565/medateca-alterstudio-partners/)
Biblioteca Parco Sempione, Milano – Italy 2011
Refurbishment of public library, Milan, 2010 – 2011, Client: Abaco Forniture sr, Design of furnishing, Functional and interiors
program: Sector libraries of Municipality of Milan
Nel rinnovamento della Biblioteca gli architetti si sono trovati ad operare, guidati dal capitolato di appalto del bando di gara, in un
edificio di grande valenza storico architettonica. Si tratta infatti di una delle costruzioni realizzate in occasione della Decima
Triennale del 1954, il “Padiglione Soggiorno” di Ico Parisi e Silvio Longhi che, terminata l’esposizione, venne donata alla città con
funzione di biblioteca. Il progetto intende ispirarsi allo spirito originario con il quale venne ideata, valorizzando al meglio gli spazi
interni e risolvendo le criticità presenti. Innanzitutto è stato progettato un bancone suddiviso in due moduli su ruote, che, grazie al
loro disegno e alle dimensioni, ottimizzano il poco spazio a disposizione e possono essere utilizzati affiancati o separatamente. Per le
novità e le proposte selezionate dai bibliotecari vi sono appositi espositori a torre, anch’essi su ruote, dotati di ripiani mobili e
inclinabili. Per gli e-reader è stata progettata una soluzione ad hoc in sintonia con i materiali e il linguaggio degli altri espositori: una
particolare struttura su ruote con ante in vetro, dotate di serratura e illuminazione interna a led. Lungo la curvatura esterna della
“chiocciola” è collocato il patrimonio documentario, direttamente accessibile dall’utente su scaffali bifronte su ruote, dotati di
illuminazione autonoma, ed espositori a torre come quelli dell’area di ingresso. Al piano rialzato vi è l’area dedicata al cinema, alla
musica, alla navigazione su internet e alle riviste. Al piano seminterrato vi sono l’ufficio, un corridoio per esposizioni temporanee, un
deposito e i servizi igienici. Particolare cura è stata prestata alla grafica e alla scelta degli arredi di design: dalle linee eleganti,
leggere, contemporanee, ma al contempo non distanti dal design anni Cinquanta che ispira l’architettura dell’edificio. Tra questi,
spiccano le poltrone “Orange Slice” (Pierre Paulin, 1960), ad esso coeva. Grazie a questa ri-progettazione del lay-out distributivo è
stato creato un luogo che permette la massima flessibilità d’uso, consentendo di organizzare diverse attività in momenti differenti e
in futuro di ripensare facilmente la distribuzione funzionale di spazi e servizi. (Alterstudio)
Biblioteca Civica, Prato – Italy 2007 - 2009
New public library, Prato, 2007 – 2009, Client: Municipality of Prato, Archiplan srl, Consultancy for allocation, interiors and
furnishing design, based upon a project by Archiplan srl, In collaboration with Archiplan srl (architectural project), Dr. F. Neri
(library and librarian programme director), and the architects D. Cesaroni and G. Nobiloni (librarian consultants) Library gross
surface area: 2,660 sqm, Cost of works: Furnishing and finishing 1,850,000.00 € I
The reuse of former shearing factory Campolmi (half of which is already hosting the Textile Museum) becomes an opportunity to
radically rethink the library itself and its organisation. The functional design and design of the furnishings aims to reconcile the
extraordinary architecture of an industrial heritage building and the innovative architecture of the library services, aiming at a tight
integration of the various planned activities (information, education, research, creative use of leisure time, recreational and social
activities), and to bring out the distinctive features of the librarian programme (multiculturalism, availability of significant special
funds, advanced reference service, highlighting multimediality and the integration of paper and digital documents). The distinctive
features of this project are many.The wide entrance hall has been conceived as a large ‘Market Place’ (following a suitably laid-out
‘three-level’ model), welcoming and informal, with shelves and displays on wheels, multimedia workstations, a cafeteria and a large
desk for staff (information, loans, etc.) designed as an interactive installation, with video screens and interactive boards.Other such
information and reference desks are to be found throughout the library. In the reading rooms the open-shelf collections are
organized by themes, disrupting the Dewey Classification.An ‘Art and Creativity Area’ is to be set up on the first floor, where all art,
music, and performance-related materials are gathered in one room, to foster the development of creativity. This aim will also be
pursued through workshop stations equipped with dedicated hardware and software that will enable users to experiment with
artistic creation in the fields of music, visual art, graphics, web design and video-art. (Alterstudio)
Biblioteca Communal, Paderno Dugano –Italy 2006 - 2008
New municipal library, Paderno Dugnano, 2006 – 2008, Client: Municipality of Paderno Dugnano, Consorzio Sistema Bibliotecario
Nord Ovest, Consultancy for architectural design and furnishings of the new library designed by the architect Gae Aulenti in
collaboration with: G. Stefanini e R. Clerici – Consorzio Sistema Bibliotecario Nord Ovest and B. Bruccoleri, F. De Ponti and S.
Candido -Public Library of Paderno Dugnano, Library gross surface area: 2,750 sqm; auditorium, exhibition spaces, offices and
commercial activities: 1,250 sqm, Cost of works: construction works, structures, and library facilities 3,806,590.00 €; green spaces,
structures, and facilities cultural centre 2,723,505.00 €; library furnishing 484,004.00 €; furnishing of auditorium, offices, and
exhibition spaces 160.129,00 €
A new centre for the town, with a library, an auditorium, business and residential spaces, and a porticoed square. The library itself,
built in exchange for a deduction in urbanisation costs on a design by Gae Aulenti, stretches lengthwise between the square and the
railway, opening towards the former with green courtyards and wide glazing, and raising against the latter its tall walls punctuated
by windows. The use of bricks and sheds and the building typology are all intended to evoke the industrial buildings of the preexisting
factory. Inside, a series of wide rooms of various sizes, connected by a full-height gallery with overhead lighting, are reinterpreted
by the allocation and functional design to adapt it to the librarian programme drafted by the Municipal Cultural
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