Green Square Kraków - The Green Library

The project is an attempt to solve the problem of lack of interest in using libraries by the youth. It combines a public park with a cultural facility to create a new typology closer to humankind.

Taking inspiration from Sou Fujimoto Architects' House N project, the building was covered with an exterior enclosure embracing the garden to create the feeling of being in a in a room. Humans as a species have spent most of their time in nature, which is why it has such a significant impact on our well-being. The goal of the project was to create a comfortable space where everyone can feel at ease and relax, where people can enjoy nature, every gust of wind, the warmth of the sun, the scent of flowers and the singing of birds, while maintaining the standards of functionality of the building and the convenience of its use. The goal of the project was to create not so much a building, but a space whose boundaries are blurred. The library begins already on the paths leading to the facility, which, penetrating the facility, encourage people to use it. The form was created from 5 smaller cuboids that are offset from each other, and the CLT columns supporting the beams that determine the interior space of the garden mimic trees. The final form was achieved by applying a simple openwork cuboid to the main body of the building. The project is designed using eco-friendly materials like wood and ceramics. Large glazings on the south and west elevations perfectly illuminate the library space and provide a positive energy balance in winter. In the summer, overheating is naturally regulated thanks to trees growing next to the building, brick openwork walls that provide ventilation while shielding the building and wood cladding that diffuses the sun's rays.