Scenographia Bibliothecae

At a time when digital competes with the physical book, a new identity crisis is affecting the contemporary library. Looking back in time, from Alexandra till now, the Library has always changed Form and Typology. What remained are its original values of transfer and conservation of knowledge. Library is no longer, a place in the city but a place of the city.

Scenographia bibliothecae can be applied to almost every city. It starts by identifying and drawing a urban system strongly linked with the city and its characteristics in order to define the new numeric borders of the Library. In the case of Lausanne, we find out that a garden was the appropriate respond to the urban needs. The university library of Lausanne located in the Palais of Rumine is no longer able to meet its need in the current configuration. At the same time the plaza in front of it, is since decades an urban issue for the city. The site analyse take in consideration all layers of the complexe scenography of Lausanne. From the underground subway level to the cathedral hill. The building become an open platform for people to gather and dedicated to the library, to existing museums but also to new community programs. The plaza is divided in 2 smaller units. On a one hand an enclosed reading garden, that is acting as a pocket of silence in the city. One the other hand a market plaza for weekly events and big manifestations. The whole complexe is connected to the VPN of the Library, allowing people to read digital books in this part of the city. The Library is no longer, a place in the city but a place of the city. By linking the city and the actual building with a single project, we tried to respond to the new aims of the contemporary library. To be a democratic and social place for every citizen. To have access to the Internet but also to escape from a growing consumer society. In fact, libraries are less and less storages of books but more and more architecture. An open architecture for democracy. *Scenographia bibliothecae has been awarded by the Swiss Federation of Architects Prize 2018 and the Orlando Lauti Fondation Prize 2018.