CREATION OF A BANDWIDTH
A crossroads between an ideal park and a commercial hub
Our urban research allowed us to discover among the old urban plans of the borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro, a graphic representation of the main criteria for the development of green spaces in the borough. This drawing, that of an idealized park, without a precise site, located at the intersection of two straight arteries and closed by a curved street, presents a division into zones according to age groups and type of activity: green spaces, relaxation spaces, play areas, exchange networks, etc., in short, a true development plan for a library. The in-depth study of this document, as well as the manipulation and reorganization of these different types of spaces, especially the green spaces, will have allowed us to lay the first foundations of the project. This is how, for example, the two interior gardens proposed here came into being, which, designed through a process of extraction, make it possible to bring natural light and a part of the wooded area to the center of the project while constituting organizational and referential poles for the users and employees of the library.
The other typology studied was that of the shopping mall, relatively typical of suburban-style structured environments. A shapeless building, obeying functional and economic imperatives, the shopping mall presents one or more neuralgic centers. These centers, true places of exchange, are almost always occupied by fast-food concessions and a large shaft of natural light supporting the composition. Not far from these centers, temporary and seasonal activities such as Christmas and Easter are held. Another important feature of the malls is the circulation network that allows multiple entrances and occasionally forces certain passages. Thus, the staircases suspended from the central atriums are often deliberately reversed in order to lengthen the visitor's journey, to give him or her more to see and to keep him or her a little longer in the premises. This typology is of particular interest for the study of library organization since it expresses many spatial qualities that are sought in the creation of a third place. Free circulation of users, flexibility in the organization of spaces, movement and multiple experiences are just some of the advantages listed. The organization of the project in a configuration of "wings" converging towards an exchange space, a network of crossed staircases, a tier, openings in the floors allowing visual connections, a multitude of skylights and a civic space - presenting the public artwork -, is directly inspired by the typology of shopping centers. The periphery of the building, usually populated by parking lots, and the opaque walls have been replaced here by green spaces and transparency. Formally, the project obeys similar constraints and is modulated according to the forces in place. Instead of being purely economic and functional, the form of the building is sometimes drawn by the desire to manifest its urban presence on the boulevard de Pierrefonds and to get closer to the Millénaire wooded area, and sometimes pressed to retract in order to make room for and enhance the existing green islands on the site. Ultimately, the project is presented as a combination of an idealized park and a shopping mall, inspired by the plan organization and spatial structures of both.
Distribution and organization of collections
As we understand it, the classification of documents with the Dewey system must be preserved, but we have developed an approach that gives priority to the human and to the interaction between them, and that also offers all the necessary flexibility while the importance in surface given to the collections should decrease with the progression of the digitization of the works. The Dewey system requires a certain order so that the user and the managers can find their way around, so we opted initially for a fairly dense organization of the collections, particularly the documentaries, which were arranged along the outside walls in order to free up as much of the center of the spaces as possible and to accentuate the shape of the plan without, however, obstructing interesting views. A large translucent colored partition runs along the collections and helps to reduce the sometimes off-putting effect of the multiplication of ears. This partition can be made more dynamic by using text projections and graphic effects that are both entertaining and informative. When the physical size of the collections diminishes over time, and the vegetation cover becomes more important, the exterior walls can be progressively cleared, leaving room for more spaces for relaxation and reading.
This first strategy of organization of the works allowing to recover an important quantity of surface, we propose in a second time to place in these central spaces thus released a multitude of thematic islands allowing the merchandising of the collections with the manner of the bookshops or the cosmetic spaces of the department stores. The displacement and reorganization of a certain percentage of the collections into clearly identified thematic islands such as "sports", "cooking", "gardening", "travel" or certain news themes, placed in the middle of the seating areas, constitutes the second part of the strategy for organizing the collections. Like a park where everyone has a place to belong, these central spaces are organic and contain more or less intimate sub-spaces according to the desire of each person.
Sustainable development approach
The project proposed here is flexible by nature. It is based on certain planning principles and spatial strategies that constitute a solution to the problem posed and that require further study in the months to come. The arrival of the client, users, engineers and other stakeholders around the discussion table will contribute to its development and enrichment. The integrated design process as a methodological tool for integrating sustainable development principles adapted to this particular project - that of a hub and civic forum - will be the fulcrum around which future development steps will be articulated. The work carried out during these meetings will thus deepen the vision statement of the project and feed it with a sustainable development perspective. The proposed LEED scorecard was developed based on three major themes that we considered to be priorities for the project and that we believe constitute a necessary basis for the Pierrefonds library project. First, since it is a library, the control of the quality of the interior environments seems to us to be essential: control of glare, quality of views and natural light, thermal comfort, low emissivity materials are all important aspects of an environment that must be perfectly pleasant. Secondly, it is also necessary to deal with an existing building, which is for the most part recoverable and, despite its obsolescence, has certain spatial and material characteristics that must be preserved. The integration of its memory in the current project is another of our concerns. Finally, it is a building that is located on the territory of the borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro and whose community shares certain values and aspirations. This third component is crucial for the development of a unifying identity project. We believe that we have offered a first response by proposing a project that is modulated to the specificity of its site and presents itself as a hub in the borough. However, we believe that we must go even further, especially in the dialogue with the city hall and the planned community pole, so that the interaction between the various buildings constitutes a civic space where democracy is exercised on a daily basis and where ideas circulate and are exchanged through the various activities and events that take place in these places.
(Competitor's text)
(Unofficial automated translation)
- The research and approach supporting the concept of urban integration are clearly demonstrated and appreciated.
- The explanation of the building's volumetry in relation to the history of the site adds an interesting memorial dimension to the project.
- This project presents a pavilion in the park and not a box in the city. It is open to its environment and takes advantage of the site. It has a strong presence on the street while respecting the existing vegetation
- The parallel to the shopping center expressed in the vision statement is well exploited. The proposed concept extracts the positive elements while rejecting the disadvantages of this type of building.
- Modern architecture and design emphasizing the search for the 21st century library
- The designers understood the vision statement and were able to translate it into the project. The fluidity, openness and animation found in this project are the important characteristics expected.
- The collision between the existing building and the new one is interesting. The intervention is not complacent with the existing building. The frankness of the gesture is underlined.
- The all white is divine. The beauty of white lies in the sum of a multitude of colors.
It highlights the actors of the place. But a certain questioning remains as for the real use of these neutral and cold spaces.
- It is noted that the photographs of model presented in the service do not return well the atmosphere of the created spaces.
- The largely glazed walls are appreciated, but raise a certain concern about maintenance and glare.
- The variation in natural lighting allows the interior spaces to be energized as the hours and seasons change.
- The creation of an interior courtyard within the footprint of the existing building beautifully accentuates the concept of the pavilion in the park.
- The flexibility of the space is remarkable. Attention must be paid, however, to the layout of the shelving. It does not always seem to be well justified as presented.
- This project allows for an interesting cultural journey
- It is impossible to isolate a user to encourage concentration.
- The technical services area is well planned
- The juxtaposition of the OCSLDS premises with those of the technical services encourages teamwork.
- The measures applied in terms of sustainable development are convincing.
Conclusions
Following the sharing of comments, the jury members unanimously designated the Chevalier Morales Architects + DMA architects consortium as the winner of the competition for the following reasons
- The integration approach and the conceptual approach demonstrate thorough and sustained research;
- This project stands out for its understanding of the vision statement and its architectural transposition;
- The architectural response to the search for the 21st century library is clearly expressed and affirmed;
- Remarkable flexibility of spaces;
- Effective functionality of spaces;
- The only project that brought the leadership team (DCSLDS) and library staff together in one area.
(From jury report)
(Unofficial automated translation)
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