CFA overhangs triangular media library montauban in france

CFA overhangs triangular media library montauban in france
all images courtesy of colboc franzen & associés

part of an urban renewal project in the eastern quarters of the city of montauban in france, the construction of a multimedia library is intended to stimulate discovery, dialogue and knowledge. designed by french firm colboc franzen & associés, the building is draped with a coat of terra cotta, a tribute to the brick architecture found in the area. marking the entrance to the city, the volume features a large overhang, filtering people into its main entrance below. in response to the historic layout of the surrounding streets, the blocks built adjacent to the library, reflect their geometric lines. the program has been interpreted by separating the internal spaces into three divisions a citizens’ forum, a large reading space that invites discovery and meetings, and rooms for reading and working. the building’s triangular form is generated by these overlapping and different activities.

‘it is a project of reinvention: in these times of the digitalization of knowledge, the challenges of such a design are of spatialization and of materialization of the information and its division. this is the ‘third place’ between domestic space and work space.’ says colboc franzen & associés.

the media library in its urban context

the building is clad in a baked clay skin

south façade

the concrete cylinder goes through the three levels

news area

the open news area on the first floor

large glass panes line the reference shelves

the ‘imaginary worlds’ place of exploration and discovery

relaxation area

‘world’s knowledge’, subject reference area

only the large glass panes of the reading areas shine through the baked-clay-coated mass

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