ARCHITECTURAL COMPETITION FOR THE RENOVATION AND EXPANSION FOR THE CITY LIBRARY JOAN VINYOLI IN SANTA COLOMA DE FARNERS (GIRONA-2nd PRIZE 2005)


Thoughts on the place:

From a critical point of view, the analysis of the place suggests considering at least three urban aspects:

The currently scenery of rear façades and medians, of various nature, which live together as a backdrop of the current building.
The opportunity to open a section of the passage Miró where it needs.
The presence of a beatiful tribune, which looking for sun, rises behind the house Bofill.

 

Definition of a functional program for the new library:

To properly size and configure the necessary space for a public library program have been considered several factors which include :

The number of habitants of Santa Coloma de Farners and the ratio of libraries prewritten by the Generalitat de Catalunya.
Fieldwork asking citizens about social activities that could be organized in the new equipment.
The study and observation of different solutions of libraries, the reference examples.

 

Description of the proposed architectural solution:

It has interpreted the analysis, the determination of a valid program and the status of existing building to develop an architectural answer, which is based on the following points:

It has raising the decision to respect the current building, and its status of isolated volume unchanged, and defining an habitable joint which where the new building touches the historical.
The piece is designed as an extension to neutralize the surrounding contextual diversity and pollutes which are the scenery of the current building.
The creation of this new joint volumetry with the historical building generates a new acces space, a more controlled landscape, with an appropriate scale for a public equipment access program, which allows a physical and psychological transition for users, who let the urban environment to get involved in an area of retreat and inquiry.
The final arrangement of pieces take advantage of an outdoor space, surrounding the operation and dialoguing with the Miró passage, through a closure enabling vision.

 

General organization of the spaces:

The entity which willl become the new library will be made ​​up of three seperate parts: the old building, the high volume of newly-designed building and a small lower body which joint them:

The lobby has been proposed as a link between the old building and new building. From this point, projected as a porch with two furnitures (the door and the desk), will be able to see the garden and, tangentially, the tribune at back of Bofills’house. In this space will be located the reception and prommotion area.
In the main hall of the historic building the infantil area will be located, taking advantage of a ground floor. The lower body part of the pre-existing building will host the internal work area, the office and warehouse, taking advantage of independent access.
The new building will contain the general fund, adult user points and on the ground floor the multimedia educational focus.


 
Materialization and energy approaches:

The historical memory of the cities and villages asking the conservation and recovery of historic urban morphology and architectural restoration of those parts representing popular identity values​​:

The façade of the existing building will be restored, faithfully following the requirements of the project, which is most likely stored in the bottom of the company that manages the real estate assets of the bank (former owner).
The new bloc, strongly projected as an introverty piece, will materialized with a thick sheet of a ceramic brickwork, which will be structural and finish at the same time, enjoying a good acoustic protection and a good thermal inertia, which is an economical solution. These walls will contain cavities to accommodate such shelves for books.
Using artificial light conditions to read and study, more homogeneous and controllabled, but without sacrificing external references of fragmented cityscape.

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