The Library has two open ends, pointing in two opposite directions: West towards the city and East towards the canal. The facade is facing the street and the pedestrians.The platform view is the key point of the project: a calm and unchanging landscape, encouraging rest and concentration.The reading rooms are two light open spaces, offering a view on the canal. The daylight goes intensely through the building but is filtrated and controlled. It animates the space with light and shadow effects. The closed rooms ‘exposition et conte’, are unusual volumes made of white concrete, round and smooth, like pebbles: they are the icon of the new library. They are refuges where the visitor's will forget the noise and will be able to enter an imaginary world.The structure is made of multiple metal porticos with pressure points on the outside of the building: this layout enables the inside spaces to be free of any heavy or bulky construction.At the same time, the porticos give rhythm to the space with a series of full and empty volumes. They wrap the building to offer the readers a unique space protected from disturbance while bringing the library a harmonious and calm atmosphereThe facade, entirely made of glass, is not a limit anymore, it is a filter. The building uses and stores the solar radiation.The structure is completed by a sun breaker, filtering the daylight and controlling the energy. A natural ventilation renews the air and helps the building remain cool in the summertime.
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