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Modern design initiatives work on the principle that if people do not go for books, then books will come to people.
Libraries are rapidly losing popularity. Today, any information can be obtained from your smartphone without leaving the place. Including a book to download. E-readers and the Internet are replacing traditional book storages. For most young people, the library is no longer a temple of wisdom or a repository of knowledge.
To return interest in reading literature in general and paper books in particular, design and public projects are designed to be implemented right on the streets of the city, beaches and in public transport. You don't need a library card in such a library.
site presents the most original projects of alternative libraries from around the world.
Library in the booth
Take the book. Return the book.
A small free library (Little Free Library) was invented by the designers of the Stereotank studio. It is a government project that provides New Yorkers with the ability to read on the street, in a cafe or in a park. The library booth is a yellow plastic container with small round windows. There you can borrow a book for free, but be sure to return it so that the small library does not become empty. New Yorkers will be able to use the library-booth until September this year.
Virtual library in the metro
To the delight of those who like to read on the subway: you choose a book from the pictures on the wall, scan the QR code and read it on your phone. The campaign, organized by the mobile operator Vodafone in cooperation with the publishing house Humanitas, took place from August to the end of October last year in the Romanian capital Bucharest at the Victoriei station. The walls of the station were turned into bookshelves by placing a QR code on the cover of each book. It is noteworthy that the service was available to all metro passengers, regardless of which telecom operator they use.
House for books
The first wooden house was built by an American, Todd Ball, in memory of his mother, teacher and great book lover. The wooden structure was erected on the site of a mailbox in the courtyard and outwardly resembled the school in which she worked. Inside, Todd Ball put his mother's favorite books so that everyone who knew and remembered her could take them and read.
His friend Rick Brooks liked the idea so much that he turned it into a social movement. For 5 years of the project's existence in the USA and more than 40 other countries, 6,000 mini-libraries have been built. Each lodge is unique and handcrafted by the locals. All mini-libraries are registered on the project website, where they are assigned GPS coordinates.
Library in a trolleybus
This is a project of the Studio 8 ½ design studio in the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv. An old, out-of-date trolleybus was turned into a public library. The photographs show the library located on Ottsa Paisia Street in the very center of Plovdiv. It was along this street that the first trolleybus was launched more than 50 years ago. And Father Paisiy is an 18th century Bulgarian monk, the author of the first History of Bulgaria.
Most recently, in 2017, it immediately became a point of attraction for millions of people from all over the world. Which, of course, is not surprising - the Binhai Library can rightfully be called a unique piece of modern architecture.
The building has a spherical shape; from the inside, it is filled to the ceiling with undulating bookshelves running over each other. The five floors of the library include many reading rooms, seating areas, offices and even terraces for a pleasant pastime in warm weather. The repositories can hold more than one million books. The huge ball of the central hall of the library is softly illuminated at night, as if calling on the townspeople and guests of Tianjin not to forget about the fascinating world of books.
Thionville, France.
This media library can form the basis for future models for urban spaces. The authors of the project, bureau Dominique coulon & associes, brought to life the idea of creating a space in which visitors become both participants and actors. The building accommodated not only traditional book rooms, but also media zones, premises for exhibitions, music studios, and cafes. At the same time, various activities create a continuous dynamics of space. In addition, the media library has new models of spaces - the so-called "bubbles", in which more intimate areas are located - a language classroom, places for games, rooms for reading aloud, etc. They are like cocoons in which you can feel more alone.
The facade of the building bends like a ribbon, and on the roof there is a terrace, to which a green ramp leads. On the terrace, visitors have the opportunity not only to read or chat, but also to take a nap and even have a picnic.
San Diego, USA.
This brutal constructivist "Tree of Knowledge" of glass and concrete was built in the 1970s and designed by William Pereiro. The image turned out to be very outstanding and recognizable, so the library immediately became the emblem of the University of California. The eight-story building contains several million volumes of scholarly books, as well as spaces for study and creativity.
The entrance area of the library is also noteworthy, the author of the design of which was the conceptual artist John Baldessari. The installation features images of students over piles of books. On top of the entrance doors there is an inscription: "Read / Write / Think / Dream". When the doors are slid apart, their multi-colored glasses join together to create original color effects.
Medellin, Colombia.
The buildings, built in 2007 by the architect Giancarlo Mazzanti, are located on the top of the mountain. Three megalithic buildings resemble either an alien base or Stonehenge ... These three "granites of science", in addition to reading rooms and book depositories, have accommodated cultural centers and modern interactive systems. You can get to the library in a rather unusual way - by cable car. The construction of such a modern and unique complex marked the beginning of the transformation of the city of Medellin, which in the early 2000s was considered one of the most dangerous in Colombia.
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| Liyuan Library |
Liyuan, China.
Li Xiaodong Atelier architects created an amazing space in Huairou village in 2011, harmoniously blending into the natural environment and emphasizing unity with it. The front of the library is decorated with twigs of trees that locals collect from the surrounding area and use it as fuel, and the new use of such eco-material as cladding was an excellent solution.
The interior space of Liyuan Library is inviting and cozy: several levels without tables and chairs, bookshelves, steps - everything speaks of the hilly area in which the library was built. The building is completely glazed, and this provides a lot of much needed natural light (there is no electricity in the library), as well as visual space, despite the very small area.
Berlin, Germany.
The library opened its doors in September 2005 and became an addition to the existing building of the Humanities Institute, built in the 1970s. The author of the project called his creation "the brain of Berlin" because of its curved galleries and staircases, reminiscent of the convolutions of the human brain.
The five floors of the library are shrouded in glazed aluminum panels and supported by a steel radial frame. The building has natural ventilation - the supply of fresh air is controlled by a computer, and the heating system uses heat from heated surfaces. The translucent inner membrane has daylight filters. The library creates its own favorable microclimate, which helps to preserve the book collections and, of course, the health of readers.
Vienna, Austria.
The futuristic building was designed and its unique style is immediately noticeable: flexible lines, smooth shapes and flowing transitions from one space to another. Opening its doors in 2013, the library has become not only the dominant feature of the campus, but also a new architectural center of attraction for tourists.
The LLC building consists of two volumes with contrasting facades clad in fiber-reinforced concrete. In the upper block, black, with a dynamic cantilever extension, there is a library, the highlight of which is the reading room with a huge window. The lower part of the building is separated from the upper part by a continuous glazed tape and sheathed with light-colored panels. Inside there are spaces for various activities, meeting rooms, a career center for graduates, a bookstore and much more. The library is equipped with the latest technology, and in good weather, students can even study outside.
Geelong, Australia.
The authors of the project, the ARM Architecture bureau, tried to follow three main ideas: firstly, it was necessary to pay tribute to the surrounding historical buildings that have the status of cultural heritage sites and create a building that would not be drastically out of context, and secondly, to design a spectacular and a modern space that meets the requirements of not only today, but also tomorrow, and thirdly, to develop an organic structure that is in harmony with the natural environment. So, a unique spherical structure was born, reminiscent of a cave with stalactites. The glazed wall reflects the adjacent park area and thus the building visually merges with nature. On the eight floors of the library, in addition to the library premises, there are cafes, exhibition spaces and an archive.
New York, USA.
The smallest libraries in the world appeared in 2013 on the streets of New York - they can accommodate only one reader and about 40 books. The purpose of the social experiment of the city hall and bright yellow structures is to give residents an opportunity to take a break from the hectic pace of life in the metropolis, to return interest in paper books and read them for free. The principle of work - anyone can take a book for a few days or exchange it for another. Replenishment of books on the shelves is encouraged, but vandalism or theft is not. LIttle Free Library's ten small pavilions, designed by different designers, using recycled materials, are installed in different locations in Manhattan.
Note that the ideas of small free libraries have spread all over the world. They have appeared in converted telephone booths, bus stops, and even on public transport.
Nice, France.
The world's first "inhabited sculpture", created in 2002, is one of the buildings of the Louis Nucera library. The authors of the idea, Yves Bayard and Francis Chapu, designed a unique head that instantly became one of the landmarks of Nice.
Unfortunately, ordinary visitors have no access to the "brain" - the statue houses the premises of the administration of the library, located in a neighboring building with a more traditional architecture.
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The article was prepared by Natalia Ledeneva for the site
based on materials: wikipedia.org, flickr.com, arch2o.com and other open sources
