Mont de Marsan Mediatheque | archi5
The Media Library is a strong cultural symbol for the Marsan urban area. It is a place of discovery, gatherings and exchanges for its users. It is a visible, distinctive building without being overpowering.
A Midiateca está no meio da área militar de Bosquet e cuidado foi tomado para aumentar o diálogo com forte conjunto arquitetônico do lugar. Em sua envoltória clara de puras linhas geométricas – um quadrado de 60m x 60m, o edifício está em conformidade com o layout clássico ainda que contraste com sua austeridade uma esquina aberta para a cidade. Suas fachadas refletem os alojamentos da área militar do entorno como um espelho respeitoso.
The building has been designed as a covered cultural square by making the façades transparent and the floor uniform, also through its position in the middle of the barracks.
This design is read by extending the planted roof to make it seem to be hovering above the ground.
The grassy incline that surrounds the building draws the eye upwards, then gives way to alternating transparent and reflecting glass facades.
The Media Library’s central location in the military drill yard inspired a building with four main sides, varying from one another by simply adapting to the direction they face. The Media Library confirms its identity from whatever angle it is viewed. At night it becomes a lantern that brings the square to life, turning it into an inviting, open and transparent space.
The interior space on the ground floor is completely open and centres around a patio, the design of which has been inspired by Matisse’s paintings of acanthus leaves, and the volumes of which recall Alvar Aalto’s vases.
The various functions are organised naturally on the open floor space, which maintains visual continuity and diffuses daylight evenly. It is the first patio used by a Media Library as an open reading room.
It is a place that provides a relaxed, contemplative atmosphere for its users. User intimacy is created by the strong architectural elements that inspire visual interplay.
It may well be this «surprise», almost hidden, patio that makes the building so popular with the public.
Architects: archi5
Location: Place de la Caserne Bosquet, 40000 Mont-de-Marsan, France Area 4750.0 sqm
Project Year: 2012
Photographs: Didier Boy de la Tour, Gaston F. Bergeret
Engineer, Economist: Mizrahi
strong>Acoustic Designer: Tisseyre & Associés
Client: Communauté d’agglomération du Marsan
Available in: www.archdaily.com/478589. Accessed in: 01/09/2018.
