A new architectural identity open to the town
Inaugurated in 1971, the media library of Saint-Mandé has undergone a restructuring aimed at revealing its built heritage. The objective was to transform this building with an initially administrative appearance into a place clearly dedicated to culture, open to the town and anchored opposite the Bois de Vincennes. To give it greater visibility, and make it a noteworthy urban signal, a new marquis above the entrance and extensions on the roof were designed, the whole unified by anodised gold aluminium cladding.
The identity of the place has been renewed as well thanks to playful signage using the principle of the agamograph, as well as new exterior improvements. Users can now take advantage of a reading garden and an accessible roof terrace, which is topped by a metal structure creating a genuine interior, open air space that offers completely new view of the town and the canopy of the Bois de Vincennes.
A reception area reimagined as a genuine point of convergence
Designed to arouse the curiosity of passers-bye, the lobby acts as a genuine hub that organises flows and facilitates their orientation. It integrates new visual openings that draw the gaze towards new upper and lower levels. From this reception area, large concrete bleachers ensure a fluid continuity and guide visitors towards the ground floor garden. This lower level is designed as the genuine heart of the media library: a sociable third place offering a café, a projection room and a consultation space.
Flexibility of uses and visual transversality
The design of the interior relies on the strategic distinction between the “fixed” and the “mobile” in order to guarantee maximum flexibility. The original structure dictates the functional organisation and thus maintains vast and open floors, internal services and, storage, with the lavatories situated at the far ends of the building.
Reading areas, running along the wooden façade, set up a continuous visual dialogue with the Bois de Vincennes. In order to preserve the transversal character of the building, the floors and the stacks privilege low reading modules installed along the axes of the grid pattern of the façade. Thus, the modular part is adapted to new uses, reading, working, and relaxation, thanks to minimalist furnishings and closed rooms equipped with peripheral curtains and movable glass walls.
A stripped-down and contemporary atmosphere
The fixed part of the layout defines the building’s showcase by adopting the clear aesthetic and technical choices. The interior affirms its stripped-down appearance: the concrete structure was sand-blasted and left exposed, as were the exposed technical networks on the ceiling. The floor is covered with a soft rubber flooring that unifies the space.
The general atmosphere of the media library relies on a harmonious contrast between the rawness of the structure, la sobriety of the furnishings and the touches of vivid colours brought by the graphic character of the interior signage, thereby creating a decidedly contemporary and homogenous ensemble.
Team:
Client: Mairie de Saint-Mandé
Architect: antonio virga architecte
Project managers: Maxence Fougère (competition and construction site), Enrico Ceglie (construction site), Chiara Monti (construction site)
Structure engineering: EVP
Acoustics engineering: Alternative
Fluides, Scheduling, Piloting & Coordinating: Alterea
Economics: Deloménie
Graphic design: Stefania Corrado
Drainage clearance – asbestos removal – lead removal: Isolea
Structural masonry: SBR
Waterproofing: Chapelec
Metalwork – External joinery: FMD
Plastering – Suspended ceilings: DBRL
Painting: Les Peintures Parisiennes
Woodwork and fit-outs: Mobiecor
Flooring: Hayet
Telescopic seating: Master Industrie
HVAC – Plumbing: Climeko
Electrical: A2TELEC – STMB
Lift: TK Elevator
Landscaping: Oxyvert
Furniture: BCI Intérieur
Photos: Nicolas Trouillard
