Biblioteca de les corts

Competition

Awarded Fourth Prize

A dramatic four-storey void becomes the heart of the project, visually and functionally connecting every level of the library while acting as a monumental joint between old and new. Conceived as an urban threshold mediating between the city and the cultural complex, the intervention reinforces the relationship between public space, heritage, and contemporary civic life. The existing industrial nave is preserved and transformed into the main reading hall, maintaining its original spatial character. New mezzanines accommodate the children’s library and public programs, while ground-floor interventions improve accessibility, circulation, and emergency evacuation. Building A is reduced to its structural frame to create the central atrium, while Building B is replaced by a new 12-metre-span structure forming a covered public plaza at the western edge. A new basement houses storage and archive facilities. The restored sawtooth roofs integrate photovoltaic panels and controlled zenithal lighting, reinforcing the project’s environmental strategy. Ceramic defines the new façades through alternating solid and lattice surfaces, establishing continuity with the industrial context through texture, colour, and rhythm. Along Comtes de Bell-lloc street, framed openings reinterpret the original windows in a contemporary language, while ceramic lattice screens filter sunlight, improve passive solar control, and create unique interior atmospheres.

Location: Les Corts, Barcelona
Built area: 5,326 m²
Open competition: 2010 
Client: Barcelona d’Infraestructures Municipals S.A (BIMSA)
In collaboration with Santiago Vives arquitectura