Petřiny city library
_ Compact volume, elemental shape and timeless architectural form.
Compact volume, elemental shape and timeless architectural form. The basic attributes on which the house is based. Based on a spatial grid of 9 bays, the building applies the grid principle also to the facade. The purposeful disruption of the regularity of the facade creates a memorable character, with maximum connection between exterior and interior in contact with the street. The boundaries are blurred and the spatial organisation of the building invites even mere passers-by to visit.
The spiral staircase dominates the central atrium – a graceful white curve as a counterpoint to the raw, exposed ceiling structures. This part can be described without exaggeration as the living room of the city – the place where you spend your free time. A space that becomes a support for social interaction, but also for the fulfilment of individual needs.
The library as an institution is constantly growing and the new building must respond to this in order to manifest the vision of how it will function in the 21st century. The building is no longer just a storehouse for books, its function is expanding to community activities. A local centre for a wide range of social and age groups is being created. The result is an open, welcoming and inclusive house.
