Let there be light

The lantern, a quintessential social space on a public scale.

After studying precedents, concepts, and contemporary libraries, and after analyzing the urban and social needs of the region's inhabitants, we found that today's library must transcend its classic definition as a book repository.

Today, we present the library of the future.

A quintessential social space on a public scale, it embraces the open movement of the pier to the south and the density of the park to the north. Creating a crossroads, mapped by axes and guiding walls all directed towards the center of the site, this layout directs users through the space in the manner of the great modern masters, offering paths that encourage the most curious, whether coming from the main arteries or cyclists from downtown, to explore the different spaces.

This composition also transforms the large, impersonal public esplanades imposed by the modern movement into smaller, warmer spaces scaled for groups or individuals.

At the center of the plaza, a gathering place, we place a lantern—a beacon of knowledge.

Below it runs the axis of the pier, extending towards the park, an area where users can stroll through spaces dedicated to exchange, study, and rest. Spanning five floors, from the lowest to the highest, from the youngest to the adults, the different floors dedicated to various generations offer distinct paths and furniture. Terraced seating connects the reading spaces and provides areas for rest, presentations, and study. A break in the double translucent skin following the main axis of the pier offers the central terraces framed views of the basin on one side and the park on the other. On the ground floor, users have access to two rooftop terraces that serve as outdoor reading areas. On the top floor, a bar/café also provides access to the lantern’s rooftop terraces. In contrast with the first light and translucent volume, a second opaque volume housing the auditorium is placed to the north, creating a screen with the viaduct. Accessible rooftop terraces, green pathways, and inner courtyards fulfill the biophilic needs of users.

A social space for exchange and knowledge, the lantern receives within its core the breath of the community, surpassing even the evolving definition of a library.

 The team: Albert Assy & Charles-Alexandre Toussaint

Supervised by Alexandre Hamlyn.