librii: a digitally enhanced shipping container library in africa

librii: a digitally enhanced shipping container library in africa
image courtesy gensler

librii, a new library model for africa developed by gensler architect david dewane, operates under the principal that information is the crux of social mobility and thereby has managed to incorporate a low-cost solution to internet access in africa by way of the built form. of the one billion people that live on the continent, less that 3% have access to the web; an issue that stems from fractured infrastructure and widespread poverty. designed for the developing world, librii is a community-based and revenue-generating model that engages users as content creators and spans various programs. librii engages sustainable practice as both a business model and tectonically, with the usage of a digitally fitted shipping container as the building envelope of the librii’s e-hub.

librii’s social impact and business model explained
video © playhou.se

view of the traditional library building which contains physical books and on-demand printing
image courtesy gensler

view of the proposed shipping container e-hub
image courtesy gensler

while the traditional small library will possess physical books, study spaces and on-demand printing, the for-profit, broadband connected e-hub is makes the complex a private sector space that frees operations from whims of government funding and the changing charity of philanthropic organizations. the two buildings are additonally connected by a covered, sunken plaza– itself bolstered by free wi-fi. an outgrowth of graduate research by david dewane and initially seed funded in 2010 by the world institute, the organization has grown into a collaborative endeavor between architecture for humanity, librarians without borders and gensler. after a successful kickstarter campaign, the shipping container e-hub will be fabricated and eventually, a pilot library will be installed in accra, ghana– all with the overall goal of creating a veritable web of resource centers linked to a fiber optic network. this is an architecture that places value on the significant social impact on both the creation and opening of a market as well as the significance of the flow of information in a contemporary environment.

section perspective of the librii complex
image courtesy gensler

diagram of the fiber optic communication network
image courtesy architecture for humanity

1/12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

project info:

current team: david dewane, rachel dewane, jeff frey, katie plocheck, judd swanson
advisers: anthony acquaye, idris bello, paul gabie, jane mcgonigal
past team: andres felipe escobar, kevin simmons
contributors: don hickey, richie gelles, rosalie lack, portfolio center
strategic partnerships: architecture for humanity, gensler, son & sons, librarians without borders