Lorenteggio Library
2410-SUS-MXP.IT-2018
Architect: SuperSpatial
Client: Comune di Milano
Status: Competition (2018)
Clasification: Finalist
Location: Milan, Italy
Coordinates: 45.4255026, 9.0783846
Climate: Humid subtropical, Temperate
Materials: Concrete, Polycarbonate
Environment: Industrial
Visualizer: Studio
Budget: 4.000.000 €
Scale: 5.000 ㎡ Medium
Ratio: 800,00 €/㎡
Types: Education, Library

The Internet has changed the way we access knowledge forever. The library as an instrument to protect and collect information became obsolete. We no longer build libraries by tradition but to create a perfect public space. The project becomes a square for the city, a place of exchange and culture, a gathering point to escape from the restless everyday life.

The new library is the key to read the neighbourhood and the outdoor space, the composing element for the design of the park. The building permeated with the city and its activities changes the surroundings. As Kevin Lynch would write, the building becomes a node for the area where all the paths, geometries and activities coincide. The main ambition of the project is to connect the building with its context. Construction costs are reduced by the choice of materials allowing changes to the exterior and the park. The space of the library is not limited to the interior but many activities take place also outside. The boundary between the building and the park is blurred, the transformation influences the whole neighbourhood.

The building is perpendicular to the rationalist plan of the area, a completely transparent volume out of place, glued to the park with ordinary paths and everyday activities. The library becomes a space for everybody, a greenhouse performing throughout the year. More than being a space for studying and reading, the project strives to be a lively and pleasant public space, a place to unwind. The glasshouse exposes its interior to everybody inviting them to take part in its life and activities. Flexible composition and functions keep the building always alive and generate endless occasions for visits.

The building operates as an organism with its flexible and modular spaces. They can be also used independently by the community of Lorenteggio in any moment of the day. With simple transformation of the paths and of the accessibility patterns the building can change its configuration. The translucent material provides an insight into the activities happening during the night.

The new library for Lorenteggio could is a new cultural center in the city, challenging the way the suburb becomes a new place of reinvention of a public space.

Team: Daniele Dalbosco, Davide Giacinti, Andrea Govi, Matteo Gullo, Sacha Hickinbotham, Antonio La Marca, Linda Martellini, Jin Zhao | Structural engineer: Liberatore Arienzo | Post date: 31/01/2019 | Views: 5.881