Metadata
Title
Looking Forward - Athenaeum Philadelphia
Creator
Milon, Bart
Location
Deurne, Belgium
Date Created
2014
Call Number
005-LF-P015
Firm
BEAU
Category
Professional
Project Assumption
With the rapid emergence of digital technologies in the past decades, much of the world’s text and literature has migrated from physical print to virtual data. With the disappearance of books, and access to digital information unlinked from any specific location in the world, it has been widely assumed that we would no longer need libraries. We believe the opposite is true. More than ever, the library of the future should exist as a place of knowledge and information exchange, by attracting and bringing people together, as well as celebrating the book. Contemporary libraries should be more then just an archive of texts, neaty ordered and stacked together. We looked back to Etienne Louis Boulee’s 'Grand Library of France,' where we found our starting point. Here, information is collected around a central open space, programmed for visitor congregation and discussion.
Project Statement
We started to design a flexible bookshelf that could contain the whole collection of the Athenaeum (books, manuscripts, magazines, architectural drawings, archives, even the small and large display items). The shelf can be expanded in the future by placing an extra row of shelves on the inner corridor and providing the Athenaeum to grow. This 'supershelf' functions simultaneously as the facade and structure of the library. In this way we created a central space, an enclosed courtyard surrounded by the storage of knowledge. Special volumes were carefully placed in this central space - designed in such a way to accomodate all the necessary functions including administration spaces, reading rooms, and study areas. On top, these volumes physically form the stage for public events including exhibitions and lectures. Translucent milky glass forms the facade of the library; during the day the building blends into its surrounding environment and the milky glass protects the collection from direct sunlight, but come nightfall the library will glow and become the pride of Philadelphia.
Registration Number
46163121