Nuova Biblioteca Europea di Informazione e Cultura

Milan, Italy, competition 2022

A curtain wall, a cavity, a lattice bridge, and a crystal egg placed in orderly sequence are the generating elements of the New Library. The delicate transparency of the piazza-foyer as enclosed public space welcomes visitors; above it the stability of the bridge supported by solid pillars conveys knowledge. Placed between the two staggered volumes, the full-height body for vertical circulation is the functional fulcrum of the project. According to structural logic, the corpus of the books, and their gravity, resides on the basement floors. Above them, the mind is free to stand out in the empyrean lightness of knowledge.

Text by Paola Ardizzola