Library for Rey Juan Carlos University

LIBRARY FOR REY JUAN CARLOS UNIVERSITY.

Location: URJC FUENLABRADA UNIVERSITY CAMPUS (MADRID).

Owner: URJC UNIVERSITY CAMPUS, Madrid

Design: José Enrique Fombella Guillem and Antonio Mata Mesa

Construction supervision: José Enrique Fombella Guillem and Antonio Mata Mesa

Date: 2002-2004

The University launched a public design tender, which our team won.

The design is based on the idea that a modern university library must comprise transformable spaces that are as flexible as possible, in order to cope with constantly emerging new technologies, such books that are gradually being replaced by computers or learning and consulting procedures that mutate. These were the determining factors when designing the building as a large, multifunctional container capable of incorporating future changes naturally and openly.

The design lends great importance to the use of natural light and the location of rest, sitting and waiting areas, which are placed in particularly pleasant spaces next to the work and study areas.

Standing on the main University Campus axis and clearly visible from the campus entrance, clear and well defined volumes and materials were called for that would be consistent with functional requirements, while defining the building as a library.

The main entrance to the library is highlighted by a horizontal, suspended volume, housing the main entrance hall and rest area. The rest of the building is visually and functionally differentiated into three separate volumes, each with different exterior materials.

The large reading room is a stone-faced prism that almost appears to be closed to the outside world, and is the core of the library.

An atrium cuts through this large, three-storey space, opening out at ground floor level like the light shining through the skylight. Vertical communication is made visible through the glass surrounding a cylindrical staircase and backed up by auxiliary communication and the corresponding services.

The whole building is centripedal, tending towards a bright and warm interior, emphasizing a library’s qualities of concentration, calm and study.