Casablanca Open Street Library

Program: 1546 m2 library and exhibition
Location: Casablanca
Status: Competition Honorable mention
Year: 2015

Architecture

competition  library 

To involve people into educational process we propose to create supreme integration with a street environment. Everyone who is passing by can be a part of that process even not getting inside the building. For that reason outdoor library level was designed. Where we propose to have reading places, places for a talk, social activity or visitor can take a part in a bookcrossing process.

Library building stands as a single space without any division to levels. The ow inside the building is organized by smoothly rising platforms around central skylight. Starting from the rst external level it ends with a conference hall / classrooms and administrative part of the building. Places where you can have a chat and reading zones are located at the platforms. Bookshelves arranged along the solid walls. Lifts are used for additional vertical connection within the building.

Exhibition Dramatical underground space is designed as exhibition zone. Here play with an opposition between light and darkness. That should help curators to express emotional part of the exposition. The space is meant to have projections on the walls and the places where exhibits are. Exhibition and library space are equally accessible from the outdoor level.

Light openings are designed in a way to avoid direct sunlight getting into internal space, on the contrary it spreads the light providing soft lighting in the space.

Context Building façade has a lightweight link to traditional architecture and art motives of Morocco. That promotes integration of the space volume into the context. Likewise taking the street pattern with its numerous bay windows, overhangs and balconies it interprets on the façade with setbacks. The building takes the whole site and structural frame elements placed at the location of adjoining buildings solid walls with alignment to the building perimeter.