Library: The Latest Architecture and News

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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).

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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.

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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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.

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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.”

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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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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 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.

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.

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.

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