Hasta La Ideas

Paris architects Béal & Blanckaert have completed a Corten-clad library in the grounds of a monastery in northern France (photography by Julien Lanoo).

The weathered steel panels cover both the faceted exterior walls and roof of the single-storey Médiathèque Corbie.

The building has a cross-shaped plan with a reception desk at its centre and an entrance on the west side.

A children’s library, an adult section, an activities room and a storage area are located inside the four wings, which all feature white walls and white furniture.

Bright purple chairs are positioned behind the library’s glass-fronted south facade and face the town of Corbie beyond.

Antoine Béal and Ludovic Blanckaert also recently completed a colourfully-striped nursery in Paris – read about it here.

Here’s some more text from the architects:

Médiathèque de Corbie

The Corbie media library is built in the enclosure of the Corbie monastery built a few miles away from Amiens and its Cathedral. It incorporates one of the monastery’s fabulous eighteenth century stone walls in its design. Built on the edge of a strong hill, the media library overlooks Corbie and its classified gothic historic architecture and monuments. The Project includes itself in the enclosure as a building, a sculpture, and an object that captures the surrounding landscape and crystalizes it. However it is also a cultural container that closely examines the qualities of this particular and sensible site.

The media library is open to the diverse landscape; to the south, a large window and an open terrace display the city of Corbie, whilst to the west and the north, the project marries itself with the monasterie’s gardens, placing specific attention the the trees and vegetal surfaces. The media library is also closed on itself, preserving some areas of intimacy.

The building finds its form from the search for a certain functional rationality within an expressive framework. It is the result of an intelligent combination of a simple and stable form: a star, or rather a four branch cross, and facades and roofings of various inclinations.

From this cross-shaped plan, the building’s functions are formed by hard geometric walls and rigorous facets exteriorly covered by panels of Cor-ten steel. This material assures the link between architecture and sculpture.

On the interior, however, a neutral white covering reflects an abstract unity, a clarity of usage, and compliments the value of both the interior gardens and the large panoramic view of the city of Corbie and its architectural history.

Name of the project: Médiathèque Corbie Adress : L’enclos – Corbie – France
Architectes: Antoine Béal et Ludovic Blanckaert Collaborateurs : E.Veauvy – C.Jossien
Client: Ville de Corbie