Bayeux Media Library / Serero Architectes Urbanistes

Bayeux Media Library / Serero Architectes Urbanistes - Exterior Photography, FacadeBayeux Media Library / Serero Architectes Urbanistes - Interior Photography, ShelvingBayeux Media Library / Serero Architectes Urbanistes - Interior Photography, Dining room, Table, Shelving, Chair, WindowsBayeux Media Library / Serero Architectes Urbanistes - Interior Photography, ShelvingBayeux Media Library / Serero Architectes Urbanistes - More Images+ 29

Bayeux, France
  • Clients: Bayeux Intercom
  • Acoustics: Pasquini
  • City: Bayeux
  • Country: France
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Bayeux Media Library / Serero Architectes Urbanistes - Exterior Photography, Facade
© Didier Boy de la Tour

Text description provided by the architects. Landscape-building and urban showcase. Standing beside the beltway surrounding the dense center of Bayeux with its winding narrow streets, the new Bayeux Media Library is thoughtfully integrated into the rich historical context of the town. The project rises on an open plot connecting the historic center with the town’s future development zones, creating splendid views of the cathedral. This exceptional situation required very careful treatment, with the architect choosing to propose a transparent, landscape-building to serve as a genuine urban vitrine.

Bayeux Media Library / Serero Architectes Urbanistes - Interior Photography, Shelving
© Didier Boy de la Tour
Bayeux Media Library / Serero Architectes Urbanistes - Image 28 of 34
Plans
Bayeux Media Library / Serero Architectes Urbanistes - Interior Photography, Shelving
© Didier Boy de la Tour

The project design expresses an open relation between the interior and exterior with the patio and outdoor reading terraces on the south side open to the media library’s various uses and users. Each space has its own light sources – skylights, light entering from central patio, light softened by a metal mesh skin on the north side – ensuring clear, legible interiors. The result is a highly transparent library with easy access to the works available for consultation. The entrance, placed in the northeast corner of the building, opens on a forecourt set back from the urban intersection.

Bayeux Media Library / Serero Architectes Urbanistes - Image 22 of 34
© Didier Boy de la Tour

Historical references and minimalist design. The history of the town and of the Bayeux Tapestry are indissociable. Also known as the Queen Mathilde Tapestry, it was woven and embroidered in the 11th century. It inspired the design of the media library’s north façade. Stitch by stitch and thread by thread, embroidery was applied to the fabric to form the tapestry’s semiotic elements.

Bayeux Media Library / Serero Architectes Urbanistes - Interior Photography, Dining room, Table, Shelving, Chair, Windows
© Didier Boy de la Tour

The Boulevard Ware façade of the library is entirely glazed and protected by a “filtering skin” composed of tubes tinted in the natural colors of the woolen yarns in the famous Bayeux Tapestry: beige, brown, bronze green, blue-black and deep blue with yellow highlights. This feature filters the views between the reading areas and regulates the luminous ambiance inside the library.

Bayeux Media Library / Serero Architectes Urbanistes - Image 6 of 34
© Didier Boy de la Tour

“Embroidered Architecture” filtering the views of the north façade. The “embroidered” filtering skin works in tandem with the overhanging roof on the south façade to regulate the visual and luminous ambiances inside the library and is also integrated with the method used for heating the building in winter and keeping it cool in summer.

Bayeux Media Library / Serero Architectes Urbanistes - Interior Photography, Shelving
© Didier Boy de la Tour

The skin is open with glazed bays on the east, south and west façades, which are equipped with roller blinds. The green roof, conceived of as a fifth façade, integrates skylights that ensure interior lighting and natural mid-season building ventilation.

Bayeux Media Library / Serero Architectes Urbanistes - Image 14 of 34
© Didier Boy de la Tour

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Project location

Address:1 Boulevard Fabian Ware, 14400 Bayeux, France

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Bayeux Media Library / Serero Architectes Urbanistes" 21 Dec 2019. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/930258/bayeux-media-library-serero-architectes-urbanistes> ISSN 0719-8884

© Didier Boy de la Tour

法国巴约媒体图书馆,本土挂毯编绘立面 / Serero Architectes Urbanistes

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