Description

Giancarlo Mazzanti’s design strategy often involves protuberant volumes which are articulated by a circulation system with a roof lower than the volumes. These separate volumes, containing the main programmatic areas, are independent from one another so that each can respond to specific circumstances (i.e. function, views, sunlight, etc.). What is more, as a result of the fragmentation of the building’s main functions into separate volumes, the entire building – the sum of the volumes and the circulation system – can respond to various aspects simultaneously and in different ways. He has applied this design strategy to two libraries built on the north-eastern hills of Medellín, a very complex socio-political and topographic context. In the 1980s and 1990s, the city was known for its high crime rate. The average life span of a male citizen in the poor peripheral neighbourhoods was estimated at only 17.

The León de Greiff Library was part of a city-wide programme called Red de bibliotecas publicas de Medellín (Public Library Network of Medellín) and was designed around the same time as Mazzanti’s Parque Biblioteca España. The network comprised five interconnected libraries throughout the city. More importantly, the majority of the network’s libraries are located in deprived areas of the city, offering educational and recreational opportunities for young people. To that end, the programme developed the concept of the “library-park” which consists of multi-purpose library buildings (book collections, auditoria, teaching rooms, etc.) surrounded by public spaces for general use by local residents.

The León de Greiff Library, also known by the locals as Parque biblioteca la ladera (Hillside Park-Library), sits on the grounds of an old prison, Carcel de la ladera, approximately 1.5 kilometres away from the city centre and on the very borderline between the (official) city and the informal settlements on the eastern hills. This way, the library fits the notion of the contact zone: an interstitial space between diverse and antagonistic social groups. The library consists of three two-storey volumes which rest on a plinth. The latter, in this case, is recessed to give the impression that the three volumes float above the surrounding park. Each volume houses a specific function. The southernmost volume, nearer to the entrance, is designed as a community centre containing meeting rooms, a gym and counselling facilities. The central volume accommodates the main library with its own reception, catalogue area, the collection, and reading rooms. The northernmost volume contains the auditorium. It is farther away from the entrance because it is mainly used by organised groups and requires the most security.

Connecting the three volumes is a double-high curved circulation space sandwiched between the retaining wall on the east and the three volumes on the west. Near the entrance, on the eastern side, there is a narrow rectangular volume that contains the offices, reception/cloakroom and toilets. As one passes the entrance area, the circulation becomes wider to make room for an exhibition area, a café and two sunken gardens. Despite its location, embedded between a landmass and the building, the multi-functional circulation space is naturally lit and ventilated and has panoramic views of the city. In turn, the roof of the circulation forms an external public space above the library that serves as a continuous viewing platform to observe the city below and the hills behind. It also provides access to three outdoor theatres on the roof of each volume.

Taking advantage of its position on high ground, each volume is orientated towards a different aspect of the city. The southern volume, which houses the community space, is aimed towards the Plaza de Botero, in the old centre of the city, a square surrounded by various important buildings such as the El palacio de la cultura and the Museo de Antioquia. The central volume also has a view of the city centre and the western hills across the valley. In turn, the northernmost volume is positioned parallel to the river, looking towards the southwest, and so gaining magnificent views of the entire Aburrá valley.

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Originally published in: Felipe Hernández, Beyond Modernist Masters. Contemporary Architecture in Latin America, Birkhäuser, 2009.