Bibliothèque Marieville

The consortium (Agence Spatiale + BGLA) was selected among the four finalists of the architectural competition launched by the city of Marieville for the construction of a new library and community center. The site was intended to reflect a typically Monteregian living environment, unifying and welcoming, anchored in the nature and culture of its inhabitants. The building is presented as a hyphen extending into the Édouard-Crevier park divided into two wings. The architectural approach: to unite the functions and uses of a library and a community center under the prism of a discovery path through a variety of spaces such as staircases, media-lab, multipurpose rooms, kitchens. The project celebrates the sensitive relationship to the site. By creating generous skylights oriented towards the trees, the windows allow the appreciation of the seasons while promoting indirect natural light. Its unexpected shapes invite wandering, discovering and even climbing towards the different third places, as reading and learning spaces. The climax of this ascension culminates in the belvedere, the project's flagship third place, which offers citizens a 360 degree panorama. It represents the culmination of the discovery. The layout generates an "S" articulation that creates recesses on both sides of the site forming zones that can be appropriated by all. On the park side, a walkway partially covered by the building offers a cultural walk with interpretative boards. The long windows reveal the internal circulations of the first floor and exhibit local artists work. At the front, outdoor rest and reading areas come to life as if the library were moving out of its walls and into the park. The reception area, the heart of the project, opens up in double height. This third place reinforces the identity and unites the two wings. It forms a transitional zone between the common spaces noise and the quietness that contributes to the concentration in the library. This versatile and flexible space allows the reception of groups, collaborative work, and becomes a meeting place that can also serve as an exhibition gallery. The strategic location of the children's area at street level allows a strong relationship with the outside, contributing to safety and comfort, while the adult areas on the upper floor enjoy generous indirect light that encourages reflection and concentration. The materiality is declined in large glass panels, a clay skin that recalls the historic buildings of the city, and a ocher metal roof. In the evening, the discovery house lights up and seems to float above the park by the transparency of its base. The building becomes a third place to built itself, to be authentic, to be well. A place to come together and discover each other on an equal footing. A place to take care of oneself and to surprise oneself.