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Library: The Latest Architecture and News

ALA Wins Competition to Design New University Library in Lyon

Finnish practice ALA Architects has won the competition to design the new Learning Center of Université Lumière Lyon II in France. The project will be the second major library building by the office behind the recently opened Helsinki Central Library Oodi, and it will be ALA's first French commission. The building will replace the existing library and showcase sustainable construction alongside new teaching and study methods.

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Lilavati Lalbhai Library / RMA Architects

Lilavati Lalbhai Library / RMA Architects - Library, Courtyard, Facade, Handrail
© Tina Nandi

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Ahmedabad, India

Loft Library / Arboreal Architecture

Loft Library / Arboreal Architecture - Houses, Arch, Arcade, Facade, Beam, Chair, BenchLoft Library / Arboreal Architecture - Houses, Facade, Arch, Column, Arcade, Beam, StairsLoft Library / Arboreal Architecture - Houses, Stairs, Beam, Handrail, Arch, FacadeLoft Library / Arboreal Architecture - HousesLoft Library / Arboreal Architecture - More Images+ 13

Open Call: Future Library

 | Sponsored Content

Future Library

CODE - Competitions for Designers and the Università degli Studi di Genova launched “Future Library,” a competition seeking a new design for a learning space at the University of Genoa. Designers will have the opportunity to interpret and shape the future of places dedicated to learning and knowledge. A cash prize of € 15,000 will be awarded to winners selected by a well-renowned jury made of Giancarlo Mazzanti (El Equipo Mazzanti), Aser Giménez Ortega (MVRDV), Fedele Canosa (Mecanoo Architecten), Emanuele Magi (Università degli Studi di Genova).

HeFei Fei River Central Smart Garden Library / GEEDESIGN

HeFei Fei River Central Smart Garden Library / GEEDESIGN - Library, FacadeHeFei Fei River Central Smart Garden Library / GEEDESIGN - Library, FacadeHeFei Fei River Central Smart Garden Library / GEEDESIGN - Library, Facade, ChairHeFei Fei River Central Smart Garden Library / GEEDESIGN - Library, FacadeHeFei Fei River Central Smart Garden Library / GEEDESIGN - More Images+ 20

Hefei, China
  • Architects: GEEDESIGN
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  1760
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2018
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Hefei Anbo Energy Saving Glass Technology, Jingpeng Aluminum Manufacturing Co., Shandong Donghong Stone Import&Export Co.

Refine your Visuals with Toffu's Premium Content Library

Online shop Toffu has produced a stylish content library aimed at architects seeking to improve their Photoshop, Illustrator, or CAD drawings. Hosting a range of vector and cad format packs, the library's vibrant content is markedly different from standard black and white line figures.

The content is available in elevation, plan, and isometric format, featuring people, furniture, icons, vehicles, and vegetation. Check out the Toffu site here to explore their full content.

ALA Architects' Central Library Oodi and JKMM's Amos Anderson Art Museum Near Completion in Helsinki

The Helsinki Central Library Oodi, designed by ALA Architects, is nearing completion in Finland. Due to open its doors on December 3rd 2018, the library is situated in the cultural district of Töölönlahti, where it will sit as a ”powerful and iconic temporary design” among other architectural landmarks.

Situated across from the Finnish Parliament House, the scheme represents an interaction between the state and its citizens, “a new avenue to promote freedom of speech and democracy.”

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Finnish Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Biennale to Examine the Future of Libraries

As part of our 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale coverage we present the proposal for the Finnish Pavilion. Below, the participants describe their contribution in their own words.

Finland’s representation at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia responds to the theme "Freespace" by transforming the Alvar Aalto Pavilion of Finland into a temporary library space.

Beyond the Viral Images: Inside MVRDV’s Tianjin Binhai Library with #donotsettle

#donotsettle is an online video project created by Wahyu Pratomo and Kris Provoost about architecture and the way it is perceived by users. They visit buildings, make videos and write extended stories in their exclusive column on ArchDaily, #donotsettle Extra.

Yes, that library. The images of the Tianjin Binhai Library have appeared everywhere, from architecture blogs and news broadcasts to going completely viral on social media. We had to go see it and show you what the space is really like. So, we teamed up with MVRDV who sent us to Tianjin to see it up close.

Tianjin Binhai Library, designed by MVRDV, is part of the bigger master plan for the new Binhai Cultural Center (masterplanned by Germany’s GMP). The building has seen phenomenal success on social media reaching all corners of the world. Since the opening, the number of visitors has been constantly increasing, with many of them coming from way beyond Tianjin. It is a library as destination point, redefined.

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Bay Book House (BaBH) San Francisco Competition

The Bay Book House (BaBH) San Francisco international competition for students and young architects consists in proposing a space for cultural exchange that will activate one or several of the unused piers of the historic Port of San Francisco.

San Francisco is the fourth largest city in the State of California, with a population of around 860,000 distributed over 121 km2. It is located on the West Coast of the United States, on the north end of the San Francisco peninsula, with the Pacific Ocean to the west and connected to the mainland to the south.

San Francisco is one

A Plane That Skidded Off Its Runway Could Become A Turkish City's Newest Library

An airplane that skidded off the runway in Trabzon, Turkey, earlier this month (with no injuries) may soon be repurposed into a library for the city.

Five days after the plane was removed from its cliffside perch, Trabzon Mayor Orhan Fevzi Gümrükçüoğlu has reached out to the general manager of airline involved in the incident, Pegasus Airlines, to ask if they will donate the plane as a gift with the condition that it will be used as a library space, explaining that “keeping it here will also erase the bad memories attached to the plane.”

Open Call: Learning Resource Center Design Competition

“Once you stop learning you start dying” -Albert Einstein

Knowledge is power, knowledge is freedom. But my simple definition of knowledge is total sum of all things you know as a person, and all things known universally. Your experiences, skills you have acquired, and information that has been captured in any accessible format that can be utilized in various ways, is knowledge. And library is a temple for those who seek knowledge.

Goertek Green Town - Time Books / Qingdao Greentown Architecture Design + Beijing H-Concept Architecture Design

Goertek Green Town - Time Books / Qingdao Greentown Architecture Design + Beijing H-Concept Architecture Design - Library, Facade
© Yunfeng Shi

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Weifang, China

Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter Reveals Runner-Up Southmere Village Library Proposal

Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter has revealed their finalist proposal for the recent RIBA Competition to design a new Southmere Village Library and civic space for the southeast London suburb of Thamesmead, a competition won by Bisset Adams.

Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter’s proposal embraces the waterfront nature of the site by introducing a stepped, sawtoothed building that interacts with the water in a way similar to the old brick factories of East London and the palaces of the upper Thames. Reflections from the water could pass through the high-transparency glass walls of the library, connecting visitors with the Southmere Lake even when indoors

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Mecanoo and Beyer Blinder Belle Unveil $317 Million Masterplan for the New York Public Library's Main Branch

The New York Public Library has revealed plans for the transformation of their iconic main branch on 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue, the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. Led by Mecanoo with Beyer Blinder Belle, the $317 million masterplan will increase accessibility to the library as well as increase public space for research, exhibitions and educational programs by 20%.

“For over a century, the Schwarzman Building has been a beacon of open access to information and a tireless preservationist of the world’s knowledge,” said New York Public Library President Tony Marx. “We have a responsibility to preserve its architectural wonder and its role as an important civic space, while also preparing it for the future, and another century of best serving the public. We believe this plan does just that.”

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Adjaye Associates Reveals Design of Winter Park Library and Events Center in Florida

Adjaye Associates has revealed the design of the latest building, a new public library and events center located in the city of Winter Park, Florida, as the project has been granted unanimous approval from the city commission.

The $30 million project will replace existing, dated library and civic center structures with a series of three red-hued pavilions described by the architects as a “micro-village.” Each pavilion will house a different program element, but will share a common formal language including structural arches inspired by local fauna and the region’s vernacular architecture, vaulted roof lines, and sweeping windows. These elements will allow natural light to penetrate deep into the buildings and create a sense of a unified local civic center.

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OMA's Qatar National Library Opens to the Public

The OMA-designed Qatar National Library has opened to the public in the Education City district of Doha, Qatar, giving residents access to a wealth of top-of-the-line facilities, including computer labs, group study spaces, a writing center, innovation stations offering 3D-printing tools and musical instruments, and of course, a massive library containing more than one million books, periodicals and special collections.

Some stunning shots of the library have already begun to circulate across social media streams, showing off the building’s striking form and expansive interiors, including the open rows of stacks, hanging seating lounges, interactive media walls, and central labyrinth, among other features.

Check out some first looks at the building below, and stayed tuned for professional photos next week.

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A First Glimpse into MVRDV's Mind-Boggling Tianjin Binhai Library

MVRDV and the Tianjin Urban Planning and Design Institute’s spectacular Tianjin Binhai Library has opened to the public in Tianjin, China, and is already offering up some spectacular images across the social-mediasphere.

Located within the new Binhai Cultural District, the library provides storage for as many as 1.2 million books on sweeping, terraced bookshelves in the building’s central atrium. At the center of the room, an enormous mirrored sphere houses an auditorium and reflects the miles of bookshelves around it, creating a dazzling atmosphere for reading and studying.

Check out some first looks at the interior from social media below, and be on the lookout for professional photos later this week.