Public Library in Gelida

I. The public space

Una taula a l’horitzó.

As if it were the beads of a necklace, the squares of gelida are linked through its streets, seeking displacements parallel to the main slopes. It is proposed to generate a new square built and delimited by a pavilion on the surface that contains the necessary program to activate and connect the new space of culture and life with the town.

Special attention is paid to the continuity and communication of the different public spaces that appear at different levels. To avoid discontinuities, public spaces are generated on slopes by means of stairs or steps, making the square a permeable, continuous space with multiple access possibilities.

II. Tha library

To configure these platforms, a retaining wall is built with buttresses and sufficient thickness to contain and evacuate the water, achieving the necessary sealing. The space is built between the powerful buttresses, the light that falls from the south at the access point and the porticoes perpendicular to the façade separated from the ground and facing north.

This perimeter containment generates an area optimally oriented, and with adequate spans between supports through the extension of the retaining walls.

In the room at the back, a space of generous height oriented to the north and to the views, a linear and continuous table is developed that allows different types of study and concentration with different levels of intimacy and concentration. This orientation allows optimal behavior in terms of light intensity necessary for the library throughout the year, avoiding direct sunlight.