No.1.

Library 'Water tank', Barcelona, Spain

The project, commisioned to architects Clotet and Paricio, uses prefabricated elements to locate rich and diverse spaces and reading areas along the 65meter-long vaulted structure. Originally built in 1874, the building is a roman-like construction with 12meter-high brickwork vaults.
Project details
Architects Lluís Clotet Ballús – Ignacio Paricio Ansuátegui
Design partner: Jordi Julián Gené
Civil Engineer Santiago Loperena Jené
Civil engineering collaborator Javier Baqueró Rodríguez
Structural analysis and mechanical assesment NB-35 (Jesús Jiménez) O.I.T. (Miquel Camps & Josep Martí Estelles)
Building company Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas
Adress C/ Wellington, 50 08005 – Barcelona
Project start date 1992
Works beginning 1994
Works completion 1999
Measurements 5 floors high / 19.162 square meter

Since 1999, the University of Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona has had a new library, set up in a forgotten nineteenth-century water tank located in the heart of the city. The project, commisioned to architects Clotet and Paricio, uses prefabricated elements to locate rich and diverse spaces and reading areas along the 65meter-long vaulted structure. Originally built in 1874, the building is a roman-like construction with 12meter-high brickwork vaults.
The construction of Dipòsit de les Aigues dates back to 1874, built by Josep Fontserè , but it was not until 1880 when it was first used as a reservoir of water, with the purpose of regulating the flow of the waterfall in the park of Ciutadella as well as watering their gardens.
The then young student of architecture, Antoni Gaudí made the structural calculations of the whole of the reservoir and its support elements .
It was constructed following a classical Roman prototype, formed by 1-meter thick, 14-meters high brick walls, intersecting with vaults and extending 65 meters, as if it were the effect of a mirror, supporting the large tank on top.
After one hundred years of different uses -old people’s home, storage for the fire brigade, car park for the local police department, archive for the Court of Justice- it became property of the Pompeu Fabra University in 1992.The rehabilitation of the Water Tank started in 1993 by architects Lluís Clotet and Ignacio Paricio.
The deposit is joined by an underground passage to the Jaume I building, but it did not start to work as a General University Library until 1999. The interior space is overwhelming. It is a quiet place, allowing to isolate oneself from the outside in a magical atmosphere.
Clotet and Paricio’s respectful intervention using prefabricated elements for the intermediate floors allows for dismantling of the whole intervention if needed.
These new levels favour the creation of very distinctive and diverse reading areas -ranging from spaces barely over 2 meters high to others over 12 meters high, under the vaults- allowing each person to choose their own space according to their needs.
In 2009 the Les Aigues Library was awarded the “Decade Award” by Fundación Oscar Tusquets, which rewards the best work of architecture built in Barcelona 10 years after its completion.

#renovation , #adaptive_reuse , #interior
#lighting , #water_tank , #library

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The start of construction and demolition started parallel with the designtask. As a result the pressure on the design process was huge, and this created the demand to compose a powerful design team.
The collaboration between KREUK architectuur, BK. architecten and Stephanie Gieles interieurontwerp is a good example of joining forces to take on larger, more complex projects. Each office has brought its own expertise to raise the output to a higher level. BK. architecten specialize in working with photorealistic 3D images that gives a good visual insight of the design for both the designers and the client throughout the process. Stephanie Gieles interieurontwerp has many years of expertise with monuments and extensive knowledge of materials. KREUK architectuur is strong in communicating between client, contractor and interior design team and has succeeded in this specific project to maintain an overview. The synergy between the three companies has led to the final result, obtained within the stipulated time and budget.

#renovation , #preservation , #interior_design , #library
#authentic_material

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The geometric abstraction implicit in every architectural work appears in the proposal with the boldness of a contemporary installation in the public space, transformed into an apparently random sequence of conical intersections derived from a single, virtual three-dimensional figure. Curved glass surfaces with a continuous silkscreen print filter light towards the interior and, inversely, illuminate the square with artificial light at night. A cultural institution like the Joanneum Museum, on which the Kunsthaus Graz is dependent, thus expresses the changing relationship between art and city.
The square that centralizes the access to the museums is an unusual intervention in the urban space: a bet on the common action between plastic arts and architecture that will incorporate specific installations in collaboration with contemporary artists. The new extension goes almost unnoticed, concealed beneath the pavement that connects the historical buildings, as a materialization of a perforated horizon that expresses, and not only literally, that the depth of an architectural work can reside, unexpectedly, on its surface.

#museum , #extension , #conference_hall , #reading_area
#archive , #library , #art_gallery , #lighting

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NO.56.

Stapleton Library / Andrew Berman Architect

• Architects: Andrew Berman Architect
• Location: 132 Canal St, Staten Island, NY 10304, USA
• Architect in Charge: Andrew Berman FAIA, Dan Misri, Vinci So
• Area: 12000.0 ft2
• Project Year: 2013
• Photographs: Naho Kubota
• Manufacturers: Schüco
• Client: New York Public Library
• Structural Engineer: Gilsanz Murray Steficek
• MEP Engineers: IP Group Engineers
• Landscape Architects: Wallace, Robert & Todd
• Lighting Designers: Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design


The New York Public Library commissioned this branch library of 12,000 square feet. We restored the existing 1907 Carrere and Hastings Carnegie Library and designed a new 7,000 square foot building to be located alongside. The library is conceived as a modern public institution that will contribute to the revitalization of the Stapleton neighborhood.
The facility is an assemblage of old and new. The existing Carnegie Library was converted into the Childrens’ Reading Room. The new building, constructed of glue laminated Douglas fir posts, beams, joists and roof decking, houses books and media. The structurally glazed facade invites the public and supplies natural light. The exposed wood structure provides a sense of rhythm, scale and material richness unexpected in contemporary public buildings. A radiant heating system efficiently warms the polished concrete floors.
The new library was intended above all to be an inviting, open, and accessible public space for the community. The new library had to be on a single level, stitch new building to old, and be handicapped accessible. An open plan, easily monitored by staff, that provided strategic spatial separations between children’s areas, teen area, and adult area was desired.
Working with the sloping grade of the land, we sited the new building such that a new street entrance could be accessed from grade, without steps. Teen and adult reading and research areas are located in the new building, separated by a transparent community room. The original Carnegie Library, which is immediately accessed off the new entry, was restored true to its original design, and is now the children’s reading room.
The library is the digital hub and resource for the neighborhood, providing Wi-Fi and computer terminals for students and residents. While information is increasingly available and distributed in a digital format, we sought in this building to assert the enduring relevance and primacy of the book. As such all walls are lined with bookshelves, putting the entire collection of the library within view, and within reach, of all its patrons.

#USA , #library , #lighting , #interior_design , #interior_architecture , #landscape ,#revitalization , #extention , #renovation
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Modern render and plaster coverings have been successfully removed from the stonework, with original granite flagstones carefully lifted and re-laid within the new ground floor exhibition space. Brick gable walls at high level have also been reinstated, based on historic records. The careful repair of historic fabric, combined with new, modern insertions, creates a new life to these characterful buildings while providing a valuable resource for the local community that can be accessed and enjoyed by visitors from Cornwall and beyond.


#UK , #interior_design , #library , #public_space , #lighting , #cultural_center , #archive , #fire , #incendie

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The second level is a children’s Discovery Centre, a single large bright room equipped with smart tables, robot building kits, and built-in feature walls with Lego, Lite Brite and magnets. In keeping with the mixing of old and new, a floating glass boardroom/ teaching space and a large exterior rooftop terrace and green roof overlook the river, and also provide up-close views of the heritage building, including its newly restored slate roof.
One of the greatest pleasures of the building is the attic Makerspace—an all-white space that soars to a peak, and is braced by an elegant arrangement of star-shaped steel trusses, now adapted to hold strips of lighting. Between these trusses the architects have created a fully-equipped studio outfitted with a laser cutter, 3D printers, soldering stations, vinyl cutters, irons, sewing machines, and wood and metal workshop tools. Visitors can gaze up into the clock tower through a glass ceiling, and see its weights and gears in action. An extended glazed parapet condition at the roof level discreetly houses its mechanicals.
As they updated the building for the present, the architects were also thinking about the future. Anticipating that a river walk will eventually follow the water’s edge, they clad the soffit of the cantilever with aluminum panels, polished with a mirror-like finish, heightening the building’s relationship with its surroundings, and giving future walkers a reason to look up.
Cambridge is a small city, but it has a rich architectural and library heritage that provides context for this project. The Old Post Office is just one of a wealth of historic brick and limestone buildings lining Water Street, including a stately brick Carnegie library, one of three built in the area. These nineteenth-century libraries used classical architecture to show the value placed on knowledge and ideas. With their reimagining of the Idea Exchange Old Post Office, juxtaposing brick and slate with glass and metal, RDHA has made the same statement in an updated architectural language, and shown the value in merging the historical with the contemporary. And while the Idea Exchange Old Post Office is bookless, the Idea Exchange Queen’s Square branch, with an extensive book collection, is only a short walk away.


#Canada , #interior_design , #office , #public_space , #landmark , #cultural_center , #library , #hub , #extention , #glass , #skylight

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NO.122

Library, Museum and Community Center ‘De Petrus’ / Molenaar&Bol&vanDillen Architects

LIBRARY, COMMUNITY CENTER, ADAPTIVE REUSE
•
VUGHT, THE NETHERLANDS
• Architects: Molenaar&Bol&vanDillen Architects
• Area: 3000.0 m²
• Year: 2018
• Location: Heuvel 2, 5261 EE Vught, The Netherlands
• Interior Architect: Jan David Hanrath
• Landscape Architecture: Houtman+Sander
• Contractor: M.P. Drijvers B.V.
• Restoration contractor: Nico de Bont
• Structural Engineer: H.J.G. Spierings
• Client: DePetrus B.V

After an extensive renovation the church, which dates from 1884, was redeveloped into a multifunctional centre containing a library and a museum but also a bar and shops.

All functions are blended into a large open space which is open to the public. The most striking element is the mezzanine floor. This distinctive element gives the church a new look fitting for its new function. The 500 m2 (5380 sq ft) floor accommodates additional functions such as a study area and meeting rooms. The first floor also houses technical facilities as heating, acoustic covering and lighting. The mezzanine is placed mainly in the aisles so the original spatial quality of the church is preserved. The first floor offers new and spectacular views of the church.

The bookshelves are placed on a rail system so they can be moved to the aisles of the church. In this setting the church can be used for large events several times a year. Because of this the church floor can be used in a highly flexible way, providing room for events on all scales as well as functioning as a library.

On the outside the church space is expanded. The mezzanine floor continues outside as the roof of four pavilions connected to the church. A restaurant is located in the garden pavilion on the south side of the church.

#The_Netherlands , #church, #library , #museum , #lighting , #shop , #interior_design

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The exhibition halls of the Cultural Museum is composed of three kinds of individual spaces with water patio, thematically ranging from the “Contemporary” to the “Traditional”, and from the “Traditional” to the “Future”. Due to the serious destruction of the Zhang Family’s house, only the exterior wall is intriguing and therefore preserved, inside which the“Contemporary”exhibition hall is built with an offset of 30cm to show the respect toward the old construction. In comparison, the Village History Hall is well preserved. Its internal wooden load-bearing structure repaired, partition walls removed, the original atrium preserved, the Hall witness the unfolding of a second exhibition space with a theme of "Tradition". Under the research on the Village History Hall, it is determined that there had been another building to its north. Therefore, the third, "Future" exhibition hall is built from the renewal of the original site, as well as a water patio and leisure zone in vacant area.

Around the new buildings, the shadow changes with the light. The sunshine is filtered by the trees and scattered in the yard, lively and warm. Along with the breezes, these details of light forms a range of subtle perceptions. Around the old buildings, be it the mottled wall, a grey masonry brick, a tile at the top of the wall, some grass that moves with the wind, or a crawling insect, there is always moment in space that brings one back to a moment in time.


#China , #house, #village , #museum , #library , #lighting , #interior_design , #landscape , #community_center

@revitalization

NO.135

BIBLIOTECA EBRACHER HOF, BRUNO FIORETTI MARQUEZ ARCHITECTS

LOCATION: GERMANY - SCHWEINFURT
DESIGNER: BRUNO FIORETTI MARQUEZ ARCHITECTS
PROJECT YEAR: 2007
STRUCTURES: INGENIEURBÜRO DÖRBAND, SCHWEINFURT
COLLABORATORS: W. VAJEN, S. SKIBA
ACOUSTIC: IFB ENGINEER FOR BUILDING PHYSICS
LIGTHING: DINNER BEER LIGHT
MEP: INGENIEURBÜRO ORF AND VIZL, BOPP ELECTRICAL PLANNING OFFICE

The historic courtyard structure "Erbrach", which houses the new civic library of Schweinfurt, is located south of the historic center, on the track of the old city wall, in the immediate vicinity of the river Main. Following the construction of the Georg Schäfer museum and the new library, the area takes on a new urban significance.
The whole consists of three buildings: a 15th century warehouse for the collection of tithes, a building on the Rittergasse and a building connecting the two bodies.
The cubature needed to complete the program is placed in an underground base so as not to jeopardize the urban role of the existing complex.
A hotel is planned for the building on the Rittergasse, while a new customs building will build the front of the entrance square to the library.
Three new architectural elements are arranged around the tithe building:
a base under the entrance square, a glazed volume and a safety staircase.
Each element performs different tasks.
The base offers the space necessary for the completion of the library program and makes the materiality of the existing building visible by discovering its foundations.
The construction system adopted for the new building follows that of the existing building. Solid wood pillars carry the exposed concrete slab.
The precision of the new volume contrasts with the rough consistency of the foundations of the Warehouse of the tithe.
A long glazed element, the so-called lantern, naturally illuminates the underground reading space.
This transparent volume defines and defines the entrance square and protects it from street noise.
At night the illuminated lantern makes the library present on the square. The transversal glass plates constructively stiffen the skylight and reflect light deeply into the space below.
The overlap of the glass panes builds a space with an indefinite vanishing point that indicates the underground presence of the books.
A new external staircase allows an adaptation to safety standards without touching the internal space of the existing building. The stairwell abstracts the profile of the adjacent building and extrudes it into a concrete element.
The main entrance to the library is located on the square. A ring path connects the existing with the new architectural elements. The center of the ring is the tithe warehouse. From the ground floor of the existing building, a staircase leads to the basement.
A ramp along the books embedded in the concrete wall accompanies the visitor around the freed foundations of the existing building.
The initially horizontal space develops vertically following the path of the ramp and leads to a stepped garden upwards.
The stepped garden offers outdoor reading spaces and connects with the garden on the ground floor.
The furniture performs several tasks: inside there is ventilation and lighting and have an acoustic function. Walls, ceilings and floors remain free from any technical installation.

#Germany, #library , #interior_design , #glass , #lighting , #interior_design ,

@revitalization

the "near / nabij" zone as the mediator between city and library
The rooms on the ground floor constitute the ‘near’ zone, including the en-trance hall, the café (and newspaper reading room) and the cyber zone. The courtyard serves as a terrace and a multipurpose 'outdoor room'. With its various entrances, openings and public functions’, the ground floor opens the building to the city.

the church as ‘agora’
The church remains empty and will serve as the 'agora'. Using minimal means we will make the space suitable for a variety of uses, such as markets, exhibitions and performances.

the "deep" zone on the first floor
The premises of the former monastic library are located on the first floor in the inner ring. These rooms, with their beautiful vaulted ceilings, their digni-fied proportions and their soft light, are ideally suited for use as a classic study library. The spaces around it in the outer ring serve as office spaces and classrooms that are both multifunctional and interchangeable.

the "centre" zone in the attic
In contrast to the other rooms of the monastery, the impressive attic is free of religious meaning and history. With its monumental wooden structure, the attic is a room full of stories and associations, and in our view the ideal place for a general library for children and adults. For additional natural light and better views of the city, we added several dormer windows and skylights.
To preserve the character of the attic as an open, very high space, the main collection is concentrated in a two-level 'bookcase' with gallery and special reading areas ("studioli") in the area of the inner ring. The rest of the attic is furnished with low shelves, tables and benches.
In the new library the impressive timber structure of both the attic and the first floor, with all its origi-nal beams and planks, remains visible. To ensure the safety of the space we reinforced the existing structure from above with an additional steel structure that is largely invisible after completion of the work, concealed in the floor as well as the new roof. It supports the renewed slate roof, relieving load stress in the original timber structure. The space between the existing boards and the new slate roof is filled with insulation material. The attic space thus provides the comfort of a, well-conditioned room while retaining its original character.

a library for the future
In recent years the character and significance of public libraries have been rapidly evolving. We are aware that the role of printed media, books and other sources of information will be different in the future. However, we be-lieve that libraries, as public living rooms and collective working environ-ments, can continue to play a vital role in the public life of our cities.
The building owes its charm to the timeless power of the former monas-tery. Due to its impressive interior the new library has the potential to be-come an important social venue in Mechelen and a lasting attraction. In the years to come the Predikherenkloooster will become, as the mayor put it, "a literary wellness centre".
We think that many of the spatial and functional qualities of these spaces do not necessarily depend on the presence of physical books — the powerful in-terior can easily be adapted to future needs. We made an exception only for the former monastic library on the first floor, where we would like the interi-or lined with books to remain: after two centuries without books, this space is finally set to become the heart of a library once more.



#Belgium , #library , #church , #monastery , #lighting , #interior_design , #wood , #painting


@revitalization