Library Buildings around the World

Project description
In 2005 Cañada Rosal Town Council (Seville) launched an architectural competition in collaboration with the Empresa Pública de
Suelo de Andalucía (EPSA - part of the regional government of Andalusia) to design a public library. MEDIOMUNDO arquitectos
was awarded first prize for their proposal and the construction of the public library was completed in 2009.
When designing the public library we proposed creating a meeting point for information and culture. Under a continuous roof,
whose folds create a dialogue with neighbouring constructions, consecutive interior spaces are defined by light entering via skylights.
The homogenity of the materials used in the construction is diminished due to sequences of light and shadow that create an
increasing degree of privacy as one moves from the entrance to the most intimate part of the library located near the patio and the
children's area. In this way the library becomes a gradual extension of public space.
The project proposed a very simple layout for the optimal use of space. Visitors enter via a double-height lobby, a place of exchange
with the public space outside. In it shelves and a bulletin board hide a staircase that leads to the reading room on the top floor. The
elevator and ancillary services are located on the ground floor immediately after the lobby. This transitional area makes way to a
reference section, audio books, computers and press. Next comes a children's area accentuated by an overhead laylight that leads
into the rear courtyard. (MedioMundo)
The reading room is located on the top floor. To reach the administration area visitors must cross a bridge that overlooks the
children's area below. The folds in the roof define the spatial sequence on this floor. Two skylights, the courtyard and the openings in
the facade are the sources of natural light. Meanwhile, the walls themselves have been converted into built-in shelves and bookcases
to ensure maximum fluidity and continuity of space.
Miralles Tagliabue EMBT, Barcelona – Spain
http://www.mirallestagliabue.com
Libraries:
Biblioteca Pública Enric Miralles, Palafolls – Spain 2007
"Choosing the place for the building was the first step of the project. Since the beginning the library was surounded by gardens... in
the midle of a parc, the Parc de les Esplanes. Some books and a dream ... We were fascinated by the idea of a half buried building,
lost between the trees..." The building is a construction like any in a garden... It doesn’t hold any memories of the institutional
character of libraries... They are some walls which may have been in this place. We have tried in different ways to give the library an
apearance of a labyrinth. A serie of rooms and gardens put together in a non-linear way. The building is an experiment, that shows
every part of the development of the project... It’s continuing changes and variations, as well as the authority of accepting the final
result... The sportshall of Isozaki is our neighbour. Palafolls is building a city, as directed by the mayor Valentí Agustí, where he asks
every architect to construct according to our dreams. (Miralles)
Daniel Mòdol Deltell Arquitecte, Barcelona - Spain
http://www.demdeau.com
Libraries:
Casa de la Cultura, Lloret de Mar – Spain 2011
La volumetria mira de combinar el fet físic del front a la plaça Pere Torrent amb la cerca que cadascun dels edificis esdevinguin
aparents i significats des de la percepció exterior. L’ordre i posició dels edificis aixecant-se cap el nord-oest respon per una banda al
criteri d’orientació correcta com a principal estratègia de sostenibilitat i per altra fer explicatiu el final de l’edifici des de la plaça. La
coberta més alta que recull la barra de l’escola de formació d’adults i la sala mirador cobreix el pati d’exposicions, posant en relació
el conjunt amb les edificacions existents. El joc de nivells intenta allargar la plaça en el seu sentit longitudinal, fent relliscar el seu
nivell actual fins a la sala polivalent, que esdevé un gran pati de llums cobert on s’hi aboquen tots els usos. Aquest gran buit permet
al visitant identificar els diferents edificis que conformen el conjunt. El pati del fons connectat visualment amb la sala incorpora l’ús
de pati d’exposicions i pati de lectura ocasional semicobert per la visera de l’edifici administratiu des d’on es percep al fons la plaça i
el carrer lateral. Hem condicionat especialment l’edificació amb els següents criteris: Mirar, per una banda, d'interconnectar els
nuclis d’escales; limitar el casal d’avis a planta baixa pensant en la comoditat dels usuaris; i prioritzar la relació en planta baixa amb
el màxim de perímetre possible del Casal d’Avis amb la plaça i el carrer lateral, imaginant que durant el bon temps puguin gaudir
de l’espai de la plaça més proper a la cafeteria del centre. (Mòdol)
José Rafael Moneo, Madrid - Spain
Calle Cinca 5, 28002 Madrid, Spanien, Tel +34 (1) 564 22 57, Fax +34 (1) 563 52 17
Libraries:
Biblioteca Universidad de Deusto, Bilbao – Spain 2008
Floor area/size 22275 m2, Cost € 36.000.000,-
The new Library of the University of Deusto is open to students, researchers, institutions and companies worldwide. It seeks to
pursue pedagogical innovation, while at the same time offering a dynamic and flexible architectural environment, in accordance with
the new European Space for Higher Education. In this regard, the open access facilities have been conceived as a space where users
may find the best conditions for learning and research. The development of the library must be seen in context of the wide range of
actions carried out by Bilbao Town Council in the last few years, which seeks to consolidate Bilbao as a city of knowledge. The deep
changes that this city has undergone have facilitated, among other things, the expansion of university campuses in the city centre, as
in the case of the new library. The building is divided into five floors above ground and another five underground, all equipped with
modern electronic resources. (http://www,mimoa.eu)
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