PIERREFONDS LIBRARY I The 3rd space an event in the heart of the borough
The new Pierrefonds library will be evolving and have a multiple vocation: educational, social, cultural, community. Based on the concept of the "third place", that is to say a place "that allows for gatherings in an informal public setting, that contributes to creating a living community, that favours a natural communion and a sense of belonging (...)", as defined by Ray Oldenburg; the new library will become a true public place in the heart of the borough, where each person, alone or in a group, will be free to spend quality time, in an attractive, harmonious and stimulating environment.
The future library is defined as a large public square, where landscape, architecture and urban furniture are intertwined. This urban square will reclassify the relationship of the library with its environment. City Hall, Pierrefonds Boulevard, the parking lot, Richmond Garden and Millennium Park are literally involved in the definition of a real civic and cultural pole where nature is omnipresent. Very open to the boulevard, the public square crosses the entire site, linking the two new main entrances of the library, those of Pierrefonds Boulevard and the parking lot.
Much more visible and accessible, the library becomes at once a showcase, a backdrop for the public square and a lantern on the city. In this free and inviting space, citizens are creators of content.
The heart of the project is thus composed of the public square, the café, its terrace and the agora made up of two superimposed terraces. Together, these places define a real urban space, rich and convivial, that the whole community will be able to appropriate to organize formal or informal events and where all generations and social classes can meet.
Inspired by the firefly fields of the photographer Tsuneaki Hiramatsu, we propose a system of simple, ergonomic, robust and colorful urban objects that will contribute to the distinctive and enchanting image of the future library site. Like a system of landmarks in the landscape, located inside and outside, these objects will be multiple: chairs, armchairs, children's games, benches, interactive terminals, micro libraries, but also intelligent boxes, like giant size l-pads, connected to the news of the city and the world.
As for the fireflies, light (LED and solar) will be used to establish a playful and interactive dialogue between these objects, passers-by and users; encouraging the latter to use them freely, even to move them, thus contributing to a real appropriation of the public space. It is in this contrast between the omnipresent nature and these technological and interactive elements that the project will be able to convey an innovative, rich and attractive image for its community.
In parallel to this system of "green", interactive objects that can serve as the basis for an educational program on sustainable development, the use of geothermal energy, a large green roof visible from the parking lot and a landscape design that takes advantage of water games, filtering basins, new plantings and a bioretention basin complete the expression of a strong ecological and social conscience.
Inspired by the formal logic of the existing building, that is to say a gradual succession of bands that are juxtaposed and offset, the extension suggests a continuity of this logic by proposing a new band, but as a crescendo, much more important, which projects and opens generously on the square and nature. Of its time and reflecting the dematerialization of knowledge, a new red brick facing proposes a poetic dialogue with the user and the passer-by, but also with the existing building and the town hall.
A linear hall connects the two entrances of Pierrefonds Boulevard and the parking lot, thus facilitating the organization and understanding of the premises. Its central position and its vertical extension through the atrium, allows to clearly distinguish the café and the different habitats. The children's, toddler's, adult, senior's and teenager's sectors are all directly linked to the lobby and atrium, while offering their various clients rest and reading areas at the perimeter of the library and overlooking the gardens and woodland.
As a library that is physically and intellectually decompartmentalized, the project becomes a place where the categories of use and functions merge and can be modified over time. The fluidity of the place and its informal character will encourage accidents of discovery while ensuring good orientation in the space.
The new library offers a wide variety of atmospheres for each of the habitats. The latter, although positioned in distinct sectors, offer reading areas for all ages, sometimes to read, sometimes to watch the show: the children playing, the wooded area, the gardens, the animated public square, the café. In this way, regulars will be able to discover over time their favourite places according to their needs and conditions.
In front of the reception desk, a staircase leads to the teenagers' sector. On the first floor, we discover a unique, spectacular and warm space. Located under the wood decking of the long roof, the teenagers' habitat is connected to the training room area by two aerial walkways that delimit an amphitheatre suspended above the foyer. This space, visible from the agora and the café, is intended for the screening of films, lectures, video games and other creative projects. It becomes a large cultural hall, with a rich and diversified program for the whole population, where users are invited to propose their works, their ideas.
On the same floor, nestled in the head of the volume that projects onto the public square, we find the training and gamification rooms, superimposed on each other. Their location is strategic. On the one hand, they are isolated but attractive, and enjoy exceptional views of the public square. On the other hand, their windows become real visual attractions in the evening and contribute to the animation of the square and the boulevard.
In direct link with the "training center", we find at the level of the public square, the agora with its livable terraces and the café, completely open to the outside. Located in the heart of the public square, at the crossroads of interior and exterior circulation, the café and the agora will be highly visible from Pierrefonds Boulevard. They will play a predominant role in the success of this new urban space. A rich and animated space, now free to welcome all the projects and dreams of the different generations of the Pierrefonds population.
(From competitor's text)
(Unofficial automated translation)
- The search for urban integration could have been more clearly demonstrated.
- Despite its interesting design, the creation of this type of public square in this part of the city reflects a questionable urban planning perception.
- The conceptual approach in reference to fireflies is interesting and well initiated.
- The integration of the vision statement is not complete.
- The materiality of the proposed building establishes a relationship with other civic buildings in the area.
- There is some skepticism about the technical prowess presented in the masonry treatment.
- The interior spatial organization does not allow for a cultural journey. On the other hand, it does allow for the creation of interesting diversified spaces.
- The orientation of the space created for the adult sector and underlined by the arrangement of the shelves translates a shocking negation of the existing building.
- The presence of a foyer seduces but also leaves one wondering about the relevance of this equipment in this third place.
- This project allows the presence of staff among the users, thus achieving an important objective of the program.
- The general functionality of the premises does not meet expectations.
(From jury report)
(Unofficial automated translation)
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