READING TAKES A STEP OUTSIDE

As part of the Central Park Book Studio International Design Competition, architecture Lissoni Casal Ribeiro proposed LIBRAIR, which was awarded the Editor’s Choice.

The competition asked architects to create a 21st-century “library in a park” that, most importantly, incorporates a social factor. Conceived for the expansive Sheep Meadow area of Central Park, the design should strive to become a significant landmark and place where people can gather, share, exchange ideas and spread knowledge on a daily basis.

Lissoni Casal Ribeiro’s concept begins with the idea of a book fully opened to form a circle. Just like the leaves of an open book, LIBRAIR is arranged as a circular array of Corten steel shelves. These elements, which intends to represent the knowledge of each page of a book, are organised into nine genres: literature, science, philosophy, art-cinema, children, history, current affairs, essays and biographies.

The shelves are placed all around Sheep Meadow and are designed in Corten steel to ensure longevity throughout the seasons. Within each of the nine areas, modular units provide space for reading, watching, listening and writing. In this way, LIBRAIR becomes a multimedia, open library, where people can also utilise an app on their phone to find the book they’re looking for.

Sheep Meadow has always had a singular function of hosting, from sheep to concerts, protests to leisure. Now, it is imagined as an entire sharing and reading space. By not occupying the centre, the circle creates a space of serenity that does not favour one specific part. As a threshold to enter the plot, the books become a part of people’s life: you don’t need to grab one, you can simply pass through it and feel the experience.

Via designboom | Images courtesy of Lissoni Casal Ribeiro