Jakob + MacFarlane Dusts Off a Eighties Library in France

Quite a bit can change in 4 a long time. In its complete renovation of the comparatively younger Renaud-Barrault Library in Avignon, Jakob + MacFarlane’s (J+M) job was not solely to restore degraded constructing material and adapt to new studying habits, but in addition redefine an establishment in response to developments within the metropolis past.

Avignon, situated 50 miles from the south coast of France, has an historical and picturesque coronary heart, however the library stands in a low-income suburb a way exterior the town’s medieval ramparts, on a nook of a closely trafficked freeway, Rocade Charles de Gaulle. Designed in response to the fragmented panorama of Seventies housing tasks, the 1985 constructing was composed as an uneven, village-like cluster. Facades of some higher tales incline inward, the place the concrete construction was clad in blue steel. Single-glazed home windows had a dense cross-hatching of vibrant inexperienced bars.

Standing exterior the 27,000-square-foot library with Ali Elghouze, who acted as the town’s consultant for the renovation, he recollects its technical failings: leaks, lack of insulation, visitors noise, and little safety from the fierce summer time solar. Equally important was a decline in customer numbers. In an space with quite a lot of social issues, the town believed that native folks wanted extra encouragement to interact with the library. To try this, the constructing wanted a extra emphatic presence and welcoming expression.

Along with an in depth program, these targets shaped the transient for a design competitors. Alongside metropolis officers, the jury included authentic architects Béatrice Douine and Jacques Prunis, now retired however nonetheless residing close by. Their presence heightened consciousness for Paris-based J+M that the right strategy to renewal ought to mix daring reinvention with respect. “The venture wanted to breathe new life into their constructing, however couldn’t merely be a restoration,” says Brendan MacFarlane, J+M cofounder with Dominique Jakob. “How may we work with a few of the constructing’s traits and obtain a real renaissance?”

A honeycomb of bookshelves suggests a tree (above), making a welcoming expression for a library situated on a busy freeway (prime of web page). Picture © Roland Halbe, click on to enlarge.

His response was a symbolic sheltering tree—a metaphoric allusion to the best locations for congregation and sharing data, and a sensible reply to lots of the constructing’s defects. As J+M’s principal addition, the timber “tree” has a symbiotic relationship to the unique concrete construction. Its trunk is a fluid honeycomb of plywood bookshelves that rises by way of the constructing from the full-height entrance lobby, wrapping round a retained elevator shaft. Its cover is manufactured from cross-laminated timber—an age-old materials in up to date kind—and seems virtually to drift above the constructing’s roof, touching calmly on the eaves regardless of its appreciable measurement and weight. No further reinforcement of the prevailing constructing was required. One benefit of working with older buildings, notes MacFarlane, is that they’re typically over-engineered, with inherent capability for adaptation in addition to proportions that may be more durable to attain immediately. Projecting as much as 26 toes outward on all sides, the slender cover shades home windows and the sidewalk beneath. Vegetation and photovoltaics on prime contribute to improved environmental efficiency.

On strategy, this eye-catching crown is essentially the most evident signal of transformation, and its orthogonal define lends a extra ordered look to the casual jumble beneath. This reframing additionally allowed the architects to see the prevailing constructing in a extra sympathetic gentle. “Discovering a relationship with it took some time,” says MacFarlane, “however after we conceived the roof as an organizing factor for the entire web site, the venture took off.”

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The outdated library (1) was made extra inviting by the addition of an exterior crown (2) and enlarged home windows (3). Images © Jean-Pierre Campomar / Archives Ville D’Avignon(1), Roland Halbe (2 & 3)

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One other consideration was that the constructing should now tackle a unique city context. A tramway is strengthening connections between the Rocade district and the town middle, bringing new vitality, and a museum is deliberate on the positioning of a fuel station throughout the road. The straight-edged a part of the crown offers a helpful foil for the museum’s future architect and begins to border a brand new neighborhood gateway.

Externally, the fussy home windows have been changed with bigger panes of double-glazing, and cladding was stripped from facades to show the construction. Whereas the areas all the time meant to be seen are fastidiously ribbed or boardmarked béton brut, newly revealed concrete is extra workaday. Having fun with the distinction, J+M was decided to maintain vital insulation to the internal face of the partitions. The one facade materials now offers the library a calmer, extra civic character. One may even see a similarity to the monolithic limestone buildings of the town middle, from the Papal palace to the Pont d’Avignon.

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Stripping away exterior cladding (1) and inside paint (2) uncovered the library’s concrete to create a calmer, extra civic area. Images © Roland Halbe

Concrete has additionally been uncovered all through the interiors, which have been beforehand lined or painted. Right here, once more, scarred surfaces are preserved, with solely restricted restore after sandblasting—“Not so little that it will look dangerous,” says MacFarlane, “however not a lot that it will look treasured.” Such imperfections lend a particular id, however they have been a tough promote. “Residents need to see the place the funding has gone,” says Elghouze. “We had lots of discussions earlier than Brendan satisfied us.”

Its stark character is additional celebrated within the collection of complementary finishes that nonetheless introduce a way of consolation. A foamy grey acoustic therapy has been utilized to ceilings, whereas flooring are coated in grey carpet patterned to resemble concrete.

Extra heat comes from the amorphous plywood matrix of the “tree trunk,” which acts as guide storage and is seen from most elements of the library. The fabric has an economic system demanded by the $8.25 million finances, and its use provides an important dose of enjoyment. “You want some shock or magic to get folks right into a constructing and eager to spend time there,” says MacFarlane. “Merely sandblasting outdated concrete wasn’t going to do this.”

Plywood additionally kinds freestanding custom-made bookcases. Books take middle stage on each flooring, however the transformed library additionally has services meant to attract in various audiences. A wood-lined auditorium may be accessed independently of the library for after-hours occasions. A mezzanine overlooking the lobby invitations passersby to cease for a espresso. Small kitchens encourage neighborhood gatherings. On the higher ranges, rooms for laptop use and video video games are separated from the stacks by glass screens.

Association of the unfastened furnishings throughout the open-plan areas was debated at size and examined at one-to-one scale utilizing projected gentle in a neighborhood warehouse. J+M designed every thing, from a youngsters’ playhouse to massive, smooth chairs in heat yellow and zesty inexperienced and orange. The intense colours recur within the architects’ work however right here signify the leaves of the tree by way of the seasons. All through the constructing, these components are recomposed to kind subtly completely different areas tailor-made to swimsuit a spectrum of customers, from adults to preschoolers or youngsters dropping in with homework.

Strolling by way of the library, lengthy views made potential by elimination of partitions permit all of this exercise to be taken in directly, together with once-hidden qualities of the constructing—a state of blissful coexistence in an setting that’s each relaxed and monumental. “A month after reopening, there are many folks coming in,” says Elghouze. The tree is already bearing fruit.