Proposal

Bicentenary Library

The Bicentenary Library is a proposal to develop a new library in Santiago, including an auditory and a park, as an extension of Bicentenary Park.

The project is located between Dag Hammarskjold and Bicentenario avenues, next to the CEPAL building, and in front of Bicentenary Park.
The library is located at a lower level, to insulate outside noise and distractions, and it is illuminated through stone-shaped monolithic skylights that control light and provide a peaceful quiet place, according to a library.

The two floors operate as two different atmospheres. The underground level is for the concert hall and library program, developed in a free floorspace, a single large space for the general library, technological library, children library and newspaper library together through a curved perimetral retaining wall that also works as a big bookcase unifying the entire floor.
In order to separate spaces and control noise inside the free floorspace, is used the perimetral wall and its sinuosities, the monolitic skylights to separate programs and the height difference between floor and ceiling in some areas.
The natural lighting change during the day, in this way you can feel the sun’s path through the variations of light that reflect the skylights; each one illuminates in a different way and all together create a dynamic lighting’s atmosphere.

In the upper floor, the “Stones Park” is developed as an extension of “Bicentenary Park”. The image of the stone-shaped skylights is a transition between the natural and the built, evoking the mountainous natural context of the region, and it is positioned as a landmark that invites us to discover the library.