Library

‘‘L’échappée’ (or the ‘escapade’) stands for a place of meetings and exchanges, and a call to culture. A contemporary forum where both younger and older generations should feel at home. “L’échappée” of Herblay-sur-Seine embodies the simple paradox of a landmark building that seeks to blend into its environment.

Originally designed by John Andrews in 1967, the D.B. Weldon Library has been Western University’s central library for more than 50 years. Prior to renovation, however, the Brutalist building reflected an outdated vision of academic libraries: the building was designed as a repository for print collections with limited study space, low access to daylight and fresh air, and a distinct shortage of the programs and spaces that support 21st century learning. Western and Perkins&Will have collaboratively reimagined Weldon as a modern academic library—a place to support a diverse range of activities, collections, and users—and enable innovative, interdisciplinary scholarship. The first phase of Weldon’s transformation celebrates its original architecture and introduces a variety of dynamic learning environments, prioritizes the health and well-being of users, promotes exploration and discovery, and drastically improves operations and building performance.

This is a challenging project, but it has also created a sense of peace and enjoyment under harsh conditions. Site. The project is located on a small alluvial land at an elevation of 4,000 meters among the vast mountains in the western Tibetan region of Sichuan. The majestic mountain ranges on both sides create a breathtaking and imposing atmosphere, but they also exert strong pressure on the site. The only access route to the outside world is a 4-meter-wide rural road that follows the valley.

Sainte-Geneviève-des-bois is located in the department of Essonne, 34 km from Paris. The project to build the Olivier Léonhardt media library arose from the local government’s desire to ensure access to culture for the inhabitants of the department. To this end, it decided to launch a competition for ideas to replace a disused market in the heart of the «U de Saint Hubert», a residential area known for its difficult known for social, cultural, and economic difficulties of its residents.

The new library of Los Molinos is part of an ambitious project framed within a public competition won by DIIR studio in 2018. The main desire of the project is to adapt the entire complex – a former school group – to the needs of the present.

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. The Library, with a privileged location in Jardines de la Agricultura, assumes the difference in level between the long urban park and the Avenue that covers the railway. The origin of its trapezoidal plan is the layout of the 18th-century gardens, which respects the existing trees and fragments its height towards the park where a cantilevered balcony introduces inside the view of the treetops. 

The library did not define its purpose by allowing it to be used in various ways, breaking away from the stereotype that it is a space for only reading books. Various spaces such as bar tables, seminar rooms, and long tables are good for use alone or for many people.

In the mid-20th century, in the heart of Bogotá, Colombia, one of the greatest architectural landmarks in the history of this city was taking shape. At that time, Luis Ángel Arango, the manager of the Banco de la República, began to work on establishing a library to house the collection of books that the bank had been acquiring over 30 years and which continued to grow. It was then that the firm Esguerra Sáenz and Samper appeared on the scene, to whom the design of this space was attributed, created in several stages over a span of twenty years.

El Tintal Library is the result of reusing a former disused waste transfer plant and transforming the 5-hectare site into a park along Avenida Ciudad de Cali with 6th Street. The rescued building from ruin was a 25-meter-wide by 72-meter-long industrial warehouse with a total area of 3,600 m², distributed over two floors of considerable height. Built with a sturdy concrete structure and large spans, it was adaptable to new use, enhancing its robust and industrial appearance.