Library Buildings around the World

Awards:
Highly Commended, AR MIPIM 2010 Future Projects Awards
Next to the improvement of public spaces we have also chosen to inject a shot of enterprises in the city centre by constructing
a new inner-city shopping mall of 35000 square meters that will hold nearly 100 new shops. It was a conscious decision -not
free of risk- to construct this mall in the city centre and in the existing pedestrian area and not in the periphery. The opening
is foreseen for march 2010 and we hope it will give a new commercial boost to the city.
The city baseline is KORTRIJK, city of innovation creation and design. In order to develop this baseline we have created a
platform of 5 stakeholders on regional level where we combine the public sector with the economic world and the
educational institutes. Our University is leading our country in gaming , multimedia and product design. One of our urban
development programs tries to change the BUDA Island into a creative nest for artists. An old cinema complex, brewery
tower and factory building are adjusted to create space for creativity and art production. We are also home to the Flemish
institute for Research and design in the field of plastics, and the Flemish competence centre for industrial design also known
as Flanders in shape. The next big thing in Kortrijk is the construction of a modern knowledge centre -as a driver for the
development of the railway station neighbourhood also in the centre of the city. We combine the library of the 21st century
with life long learning and with multimedia and music institutes. We have selected the well-known American architecture
office REX that constructed the library in Seattle. We are at the moment in the phase of financing the project. We are not
unfamiliar with the concept of European project and networks. For example in E government we have been involved in
some interreg projects. Most recently the innofestival project in the 7th framework program PRO INNO has been approved,
together with our partner Barcelona , Milan, Lisbon, Vilnius and Talinn. We are going to organise the European innovation
week called innovation festival for the next three years. Themes witch capture our interest are Life Long learning,
innovation and entrepreneurship, library of the 21st century, waterfront development and E- government and E -care.
October 18, 2012 (http://eurotown.org/kortrijk)
Natürlich. Auch das belgische Städtchen Kortrijk möchte die „Bibliothek der Zukunft“ haben, weswegen der
Architektenwettbewerb auch gar nicht erst nach einer „library“ fragte, sondern nach einer „lllibrary“. Die neue zentrale
Bibliothek soll eben nicht nur eine Lesehalle werden, sondern auch ein Ort für interaktives, mediengestütztes und
lebenslanges Lernen. Außerdem sollte das örtliche Musikzentrum, dessen Gebäude sich bereits auf dem Gelände befindet, in
das Konzept eingebunden werden. Diesen Wettbewerb hat jetzt das Büro REX Architecture (New York) – zusammen mit
dem Landschaftsplaner Bureau Bas Smets (Brüssel) – gewonnen. Das der Chef von REX, Joshua Prince-Ramus, vor seiner
Selbständigkeit lange Zeit bei O.M.A. in Rotterdam gearbeteit hat ist diesem Entwurf deutlich anzusehen: Die Bibliothek
folgt dem inneren Organisationsprinzip der Spirale, bei dem alle Ebenen fließend ineinander übergehen und sich entlang
einer weitgehend transparenten Außenhülle in die Höhe schrauben. Genialer Dreh im Entwurf von REX war der Vorschlag,
eben nicht – wie vorgesehen – den Parkplatz neben dem Musikzentrum für den Neubau zu verwenden. Das hätte die
Bibliothek in eine Randlage hinter dem Musikzentrum gebracht. Stattdessen werden Musik und Bücher zu einem neuen
Haus vereint, welches sich als neue Hülle über Teile des bestehenden Gebäudes legt. Vor allem sollen alle Konzert- und
Hörsäle des Konservatoriums weiterverwendet werden. Außerdem wird so der ursprünglich vorgesehen Bauplatz frei für
eine kommerzielle Verwendung, deren Gewinne in die Realisierung fließen können. Im Inneren ist es wichtig, die Grenzen
zwischen den Bereichen von Konservatorium, Bibliothek und Lernzentrum aufzulösen. Stattdessen schlagen sie eine
Einteilung in offene und geschlossene Räume vor: Hier die öffentlichen Bereiche, Cafes und die Bücherreggale und
Leseplätze, dort die Klassenräume, Büros, Konzertsäle und Besprechungszimmer. Das Projekt soll rund 31 Millionen Euro
kosten. (http://www.baunetz.de)
The project follows on from our 1st prize winning proposal for a new cultural city framework recently won in an open
international competition The scheme consists of two public buildings; a new city library and a three auditorium concert hall
for the Norwegian coastal City of Bodo. The two buildings have a figurative quality, two distinct but related characters
engaged in conversation, with each other and with their urban and harbour side contexts. Collectively, they are understood
as the new cultural heart of the City whilst, individually, they respond to the particular conditions of their sites and
programmes. Both buildings contain public spaces around a central figure that sits at their heart. In the Kulturhus this
central space is the internal world of the principal 1000 seat auditorium, whilst in the library it is the surprise of a planted
exterior courtyard, placed on the top floor, above a black box theatre. The interior public spaces of the Kulturhus are
planned to take advantage of expansive views across the harbour, forming a contrast to the interiority of the auditorium.
From the principal foyer space, the lower volume and shaped roof of the Bibliotek forms a horizon to the sea and the
mountains beyond. Within the Bibliotek itself, the scale of main library volume reflects that of the landscape. The grand scale
of a columnar façade provides a rhythmic counterpoint to the powerful profile of the mountains beyond. Arriving on a boat,
the buildings present themselves almost as a single piece; a ‘hill’ of gabled forms, perspectivally receding like a theatre set yet
glittering on a sunny day. The geometries of each building plan adjusts in response to variations in the grain of the city fabric.
These moments announce principal facades and entrances. The main entrance façade of the Kulturhus is inflected to form a
hinge in the shifting line of the street.. The waterfront façade of the library adjusts to the line of the harbour wall, recalling
both the shed like nature of harbour-side structures and the civic qualities of a temple or basilica. (REX)
richärd+bauer architecture, Phoenix, Arizona - USA
Literature:
Architectural Week, 335, 2007
Architectural Record, Dec. 2007
Levimons, Nancy, Richärd + Bauer draws people through a rusting-steel canyon
Into Scottsdale´s Arabian Public Library, in: Architectural Record, June 2008
http://www.richard-bauer.com
Libraries:
Northwest Library, Oklahoma City, OK – USA 2011
City of Oklahoma City, 35,000 sf / 8.1M / Scheduled Completion August 2011
The new library will have shelf space for 156,000 item collection. There will be meeting rooms, large spaces for children and teens,
study areas and over 50 public access computer stations. The building will also be Wi-Fi compatible for wireless Internet access.
concept
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