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Public Library
© Bas Princen

Public Library

The new library for the municipality of Sint-Martens-Latem is first of all a central gathering point. In the tradition of the cultural center, the library is set up as a large living space, shared by the residents of the municipality. A saddle-shaped roof is delimited by a circular perimeter.

photo_credit © Bas Princen
© Bas Princen

The perimeter cuts the roof shape into a distinctive figure in the center of the municipality, as anchor point, as the first element of a cluster of public buildings – buildings in the village center, along the road and along the new municipal settlement.

photo_credit © Bas Princen
© Bas Princen
photo_credit © Bas Princen
© Bas Princen

The rounded plastered perimeter makes the main space of the library building. The wooden library cabinets inside are built alongside and also carry the roof. The cabinet wall defines the separation line between library spaces and municipality.

photo_credit © Bas Princen
© Bas Princen

In the round perimeter, a square figure makes both the reading garden and the polyvalent hall. The reading garden is the center of the library, as the ‘largest room in the largest house’ of the municipality.

Caption
Caption

Project credits

Engineers
Acoustics consulting
Landscape Architects
Art integration

Product spec sheet

Façade plaster
Solar shading with outside curtain
Metal window frame
Acoustical ceilings
Metal/glass curtain wall

Project data

Project Year
2023
Category
Libraries
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