The new library in Maranello began to take shape in 2007, when the Municipality of this small town in Northern Italy announced the open design competition “Progettare la Cultura” (“Designing Culture”) that received nearly 150 submissions from Italy and abroad. The winning architects, Arata Isozaki and Andrea Maffei, received the commission to design the library in June 2008; construction began in September 2009. From the beginning, the project took into account aspects of sustainability, control over the environmental impact of the building and the reduction of fuel consumption.

The architects stated that “the Municipality’s intention to offer a new service to the city could only take the form of a building that looked into the future”.

The building defines a rarefied space that is perfectly placed within the urban fabric. Its sinuous profiles are bound by glass plates that follow its contour: reading becomes an “open” experience by means of the transparent membrane that forms the façade. It manifests as an interaction between knowledge and the contemplation of the landscape that surrounds the library.

The new Library in Maranello offers the community an environment in which to read, study, learn and enjoy a space that is suspended over a body of water and enveloped by greenery.

project name
New Town Library in Maranello, Italy

program
library

client
Maranello Patrimonio s.r.l., Maranello, Italy

architects
Arata Isozaki and Andrea Maffei

design team
Alessandra De Stefani and Carlotta Maranesi, Simone Utzeri,
Maurizio Petronio / Andrea Maffei Architects

partner architects
Stefano Tozzi / M+T & Partners

security coordination
Enrico Bianchini

structural engineering
Mario Sbrozzi, Studio Sbrozzi, Modena, Italy

geothermal systems for energy saving
Manuele Petranelli, Studio Petranelli, Firenze, Italy

landscape
Laura Gatti, studio Gatti, Milano

lighting design
Koichi Tanaka, M+K Design, Milano

construction
general contractor: ATI – Cooperativa Muratori Reggiolo e
Manutenzioni Generali Reggiane, Reggiolo, Italy
glass: SLIA Serramenti, Napoli, Italy

site construction supervisor
Andrea Maffei / Andrea Maffei Architects

vice-supervisor
Maurizio Forghieri

construction management
Alessandra De Stefani / Andrea Maffei Architects

structural management
Mario Sbrozzi / studio Sbrozzi

systems management
Manuele Petranelli / studio Petranelli

dimensions
site area: 850 sqm
built gross area: 1.175 sqm
maximum height above ground level: 5.3 m

materials
reinforced concrete, steel, curved glass paneling

schedule
competition: April 2007
design: June 2008 - September 2009
beginning of construction: September 2009
opening: November 2011

photography
Alessandra Chemollo