Philadelphia Athenaeum, 2050

Philadelphia Athenaeum, 2050

Anderson, Collin

Paris, France

2014

005-LF-P027

Professional

To be a successful building for the collection and dissemination of knowledge, the future Athenæum must be integrated with the city. It should be open and inviting, with indoor and outdoor spaces that connect to the streets and adjacent parks. Only then will it appeal to everyone for the use of its varied spaces: For digital technology, design and education, culture and exhibition, work and study, and for the preservation and viewing of its world-class collection.

Architecture, like machinery, was once built to convey force, power, and solidity.

Today, each is built to convey lightness, transparency, and the dynamism of its users.

This proposal envisions the Athenæumas a dynamic machine:

It is a library connected to Washington Square Park and future Dilworth Park.

Raised public gardens bring this landscape into the building, and vice versa.

Its reading room cantilevers over the site.

Exposed vertical circulation articulates movement.

Elements of brownstone celebrate its history and protect its collection.

A transparent gathering space disconnects the building from the ground.

And establishes a porous streetscape.

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