2010 Camille LardinoisCamille Lardinois - Projet de nouvelle bibliothèque pour les Chiroux
The project for the new Library of Chiroux takes place on the site of prémontrés.
The urban fabric of the site is characterized by a progressive dilatation resulting from various stages of its composition which starts from the center of the city. To respect this specificity, the project is established in the southeast angle of the site, allowing identifying an esplanade realized by level variations guiding the pedestrian up to the heart of the library. This pedestrian way is highlighted by a footbridge which runs alongside the former library, leads to the high entrance of the project and extends beyond the Meuse to establish a direct connection with the right bank.
The general morphology of the project is short but large to counterbalance the slender lines of the Kennedy tower. Its first two levels are allocated to the check in and out functions. The composition logic is set: the area is open and punctuated with closed boxes structuring the space. The first level is built on a base developed from the footbridge. The upper levels constitute the stock of knowledge. This stock is composed like a safe mined by galleries through which the user walks. Thus the composition is made by subtraction in the mass which constitutes reserves – buffer zone.
The project is distributed according to three types of circulations. The first one is fast, vertical and partially reserved for the librarians, it is focused in one point. The two others travel the project all over in different ways. One is distributor, draws a concentrated course through the library. The other is located in periphery, benefiting from a character of walk and connecting the reading areas for the user seeking intellectual solitude.
The urban fabric of the site is characterized by a progressive dilatation resulting from various stages of its composition which starts from the center of the city. To respect this specificity, the project is established in the southeast angle of the site, allowing identifying an esplanade realized by level variations guiding the pedestrian up to the heart of the library. This pedestrian way is highlighted by a footbridge which runs alongside the former library, leads to the high entrance of the project and extends beyond the Meuse to establish a direct connection with the right bank.
The general morphology of the project is short but large to counterbalance the slender lines of the Kennedy tower. Its first two levels are allocated to the check in and out functions. The composition logic is set: the area is open and punctuated with closed boxes structuring the space. The first level is built on a base developed from the footbridge. The upper levels constitute the stock of knowledge. This stock is composed like a safe mined by galleries through which the user walks. Thus the composition is made by subtraction in the mass which constitutes reserves – buffer zone.
The project is distributed according to three types of circulations. The first one is fast, vertical and partially reserved for the librarians, it is focused in one point. The two others travel the project all over in different ways. One is distributor, draws a concentrated course through the library. The other is located in periphery, benefiting from a character of walk and connecting the reading areas for the user seeking intellectual solitude.
