dominique coulon's flowing-shaped media library in france houses two cultural programs

the area of thionville is under development, driven by its geographical position near the luxembourg border. dominique coulon’s idea of a ‘3ème lieu’ — third place –stems from the city’s desire to merge two cultural projects close to its heart: a media library to replace the current library and a center of plastic and digital arts project. merge rather than to juxtapose, this is the principle imagined to generate an unprecedented space. a place which offers both cultural and leisure services addressed to a population as varied as possible.

‘3ème lieu’ — third place — stems from thionville’s desire to merge two cultural projects

french based studio dominique coulon & associés‘ media library project considers the specific themes of each of the entities so that it is not an agglomeration of plans, but the unitary place which offers multiple cultural and recreational services. the concept of ‘third place’ tends to make the new thionvillois design more than a cultural place, a real forum welcoming all populations, regardless of their level of culture. the classic media center is complemented by conviviality spaces, digital and plastic creation workshops, as well as training and exhibition spaces.

offers both cultural and leisure services addressed to a population as varied as possible

this project aims to become a new media library model. the program reinterprets its functions to give it the content of a third place, a place where the public becomes an actor of its own condition, a place where one conceives as much as one receives. in addition to the basic program, the building houses exhibition spaces, creative spaces, music studios and a café-restaurant. to give meaning to this new program, it seemed necessary to re-examine the mode of manufacture of this type of place. the different programmatic activities are diluted into each other and create a dynamic device.

this project aims to become a new media library model

the spatial principle is based on a superposition of different systems without hierarchy. the building is part of a square, isotropic figure that does not favor direction. this figure is initiated by the geometry of the square, the building is close to the plane tree crown that surrounds the site, a first depth that filters with the street and with which it seems to play. the facade functions as a ribbon that unfolds and welcomes the universe contained in the program. the unfolded accommodates them in the concave part, the winding effect giving the feeling of a spatial continuity.

a real forum welcoming all populations

the floors and ceilings of the main area consist of discontinuous and autonomous surfaces whose lines are independent of each other. the color and the materials of this space make variations of light and shade appear that contrast with the ‘bubble’ materiality. the green and white colors extend the garden landscape which penetrates the heart of the building and are attached to the tree crown plane. the flowing space with multiple courses offers points of view always renewed and unpublished. the process of unveiling a universe becomes the circular paradigm. the unfolded envelope accentuates this impression of infinite space.

the floors and ceilings of the main area consist of discontinuous and autonomous surfaces

an inclined garden offers a new breakaway towards outside in a course ascending to a summer bar, the highlight of the walkabout. the green area extends the inner wandering as dominique coulon’s design approaches the horizon and the city disappears, leaving only the coronation of the trees to dialogue with the sky. following this concept many uses are possible: take the nap outdoors, picnic, read, gather with others and so forth.

story time for the younger ones