Page 87 - Designing Ways 250

Pierrefonds Public

Library

Montréal, Canada

efined as the combination of a park and a shopping mall,
both considered as a highly attended “third place”, this
Dinnovative library embodies an ecosystemic vision where the
programmes and the relations between them are developed with the
same level of attention. It is a true social and information exchange
network that takes shape into a complex circulation structure that
renews the library experience with each visit.

The design of the Pierrefonds Public Library is also innovative in its
relation to the landscape, its discreet technological approach actively
participating in the scenography, and the display of the collections. The
latter are structured around thematic poles to enhance accessibility.

“The overall planning strategy of this innovative and highly technological
library was inspired by the pragmatic efficiency of shopping centres train
stations, and airports, all while avoiding their flaws.”

The combination of an ideal park and a shopping mall
While looking through old masterplans of Pierrefonds-Roxboro, the
architects came across a graphic image depicting the main planning
criteria for green spaces in the district. The drawing showed an
idealised park on a generic site. The park was divided into various
areas, based on age groups and types of activities: green spaces,
rest spaces, play zones, exchange networks, etc.; similar to library
planning.

An in-depth study of this document, paired with a reorganisation
of the various areas, especially the green spaces, became one of the
foundations for the project. An interior garden emerged as a result
of these explorations. Created by an extraction process, the garden
allows natural light as well as part of the natural surroundings to
reach the heart of the existing building. The garden also functions as
reference point for users and employees of the library.

Typical of suburban environments and often criticized, the shopping
mall typology was also investigated. Generic buildings, obedient to
functional and economic requirements, shopping malls have one or
many focal points. These centres of activities and exchange are almost
always topped with a large skylight accentuating the composition.

Another important characteristic of the shopping mall is its circulation
network fed by multiple entryways that compels the customer into
specific paths. Thus, stairways typically located in central atriums
are often voluntarily reversed, as a way of extending the visitor’s stay.
This typology is particularly interesting to the planning of a library.
Its numerous spatial qualities are essential components of what is
called a “third place”. Users circulating freely, flexibility in spatial
organisation, multiple movements and experiences are just a few of
these advantages.

The project’s main elements are directly inspired by the shopping
mall typology: wings merging into a central meeting space, a
network of stairways, bench seating, floor openings allowing visual

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