Lusty libraries_Part 1

It’s fairly safe to assume we can all agree that books infuse spaces with texture, colour, depth and character, adding a sense of comfort and a certain warmth. In this increasingly digital and intangible world we live in, books and libraries give us a sense of security and the familiar, at the same time evoking a certain thirst for knowledge – a child-like wonder. Having said all this, unless you’re at Hogwarts, libraries can be a fairly uninspiring place to hang out. Rows and rows of boring books, spines of which are hardly the material de jour for architectural masterpieces. Without so much as a floating bookcase or levitating random book to keep you engaged, how is one to entice the reader into the Hallowed Halls? How do you take piles of books and construct an interior that not only encapsulates the reason for the space, that is to sit and read, but also takes the same space to a whole never level that actually makes one want to submerge into it? These exceptional examples of libraries (and bookstores) across the globe not only engage the mind, but invigorate the soul… and without so much as an abracadabra swish of a wand.

Seashore Library in China by Vector Architects
From outside, it looks like a weathered rock that is pure and solid; but inside, it contains rich feelings and experiences. When walking into the space, one starts to feel the light, breezes, and sound of the ocean. This cast-concrete library sits on a stretch of deserted beach facing the East China Sea and features a tiered reading hall topped by a curving ceiling. The cast in-situ concrete walls are imprinted with the grain of their timber formwork – influenced by the rippled markings left behind on the sand by the wind and water.

Toyo Ito’s Tama Art University Library in Tokyo
This beautiful library for an art university is located in the suburbs of Tokyo. Passing through the main entrance gate, the site lies behind a front garden and stretches up a gentle slope. The architects envisioned a structure of randomly placed arches that would create the experience of the front garden’s scenery continuing into the building.

University Library in Barcelona (Dipòsit de les Aigües) by Lluis Clotet and Ignacio Paricio
Originally part of the water reservoir system in Barcelona, this building has been utterly transformed by the Spanish architects Lluís Clotet and Ignacio Paricio, into the General Library of the University. The interior space is overwhelming, awe-inspiring, breathtaking, smashing… seriously there are just no words capable of aptly describing such exceptional architecture. It was a respectful intervention by Clotet and Paricio using prefabricated elements for the formation of the intermediate slabs, enabling everything original to be left as it was. The different spaces allow for different experiences within the library. What is most striking is the ceiling heights. A mere 2 metres in some areas soaring to over 12 metres in other parts of the building. Hogwarts, eat your heart out.

Selexyz Dominicanen Bookstore by Merkx+Girod Architecten
A bookstore inside a former Dominican church won the Lensvelt de Architect Interior Prize 2007. The architects wanted to emphasize the building’s height and exceptional architecture by creating a multi-level, monumental, black, walk-in bookcase situated asymmetrically in the church. In this way the left hand side of the church retains the complete height whilst on the right, visitors are directed to the upper levels of this steel ‘book-flat’. The bookcase is a grand gesture, a statement that matches the monumental dimensions of the church and gives an extra dimension. Due to the passageways, perspectives and the use of perforated steel, the flat appears to be light and transparent in spite of its size. The object neither imposes on the space nor clashes with the church’s architecture; it enhances its experience.

Laudense Library by Michele De Lucchi
The Laudense Library is a prestigious institution situated in the historic centre of Lodi. The project converts the monastery into a living place, in addition to the rooms devoted to reading and study, also accommodates a collection of newspapers and periodicals, internet desks, a literary café, a civic hall for weddings and conferences, a foyer, a music room and a cinema. A floor-to-ceiling glazed wall, punctuated by an oak wood frame, signals the new access from Via Solferino.

Stay tuned for Part 2.
Instinct Furniture BLOG, mostly about cool libraries, furniture and design – keeping you abreast of our world. (Source: Yellowtrace).