lissoni casal ribeiro envisions an open-air library in new york’s central park

as part of the central park book studio international design competition, architecture firm lissoni casal ribeiro has conceived of ‘LIBRAIR’ – an open-air library for new york. the project, which was awarded the editor’s choice, proposes to break with the closed formality of the conventional library typology and instead make books an accessible and everyday aspect of life. 

in a world where the culture of reading is disappearing, the project breaks with the closed formality of a traditional library

all images courtesy of lissoni casal ribeiro

the competition asked architects to create a 21st century ‘library in a park’ that most importantly incorporates a social factor. conceived for the expansive sheep meadow area of central park, the design should strive to become a significant landmark and place where people can gather, share, exchange ideas and spread knowledge on a daily basis.

the reader becomes a subject of his experience and becomes one with the book, wherever he is

lissoni casal ribeiro‘s concept begins with the idea of a book fully opened to form a circle. just like the leaves of an open book, LIBRAIR is arranged as a circular array of corten-steel shelves. these elements, which intends to represent the knowledge of each page of a book, are organized into nine genres: literature, science, philosophy, art-cinema, children, history, current affairs, essays and biographies. 

sheep meadow has always had a singular function of hosting, here it is imagined as an entire sharing and reading space

the shelves are placed all around sheep meadow and are designed in corten steel to ensure longevity through the seasons. within each of the nine areas, modular units provide space for reading, watching, listening and writing. in this way, LIBRAIR becomes a multi-media, open library, where people can also utilize an app on their phone to find the book they’re looking for.

by not occupying the center, the circle creates a space of serenity that does not favor one specific part

sheep meadow has always had a singular function of hosting, from sheep to concerts, protests to leisure. now, with this project it is imagined as an entire sharing and reading space. by not occupying the center, the circle creates a space of serenity that does not favor one specific part. as a threshold to enter the plot, the books become a part of people’s life: you don’t need to grab one, you can simply pass through it and feel the experience.

as a threshold to enter the plot, books become a part of life: you don’t need to grab one, you can simply pass through it and feel the experience

the concept starts from an open book, and the shelves represent the knowledge found in each page

project info:

project name: LIBRAIR

project type: competition entry for central park book studio international design competition 

location: sheep meadow, central park, new york, the US

architect: lissoni casal ribeiro

design team: piero lissoni, joao silva, fulvio capsoni

collaborators: achilleas souras, colombe goudchaux

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.