Library in Curno
Curno, located some forty kilometres northeast of Milan, has been one of the more prosperous communities in the province of Bergamo. A concept envisioning adding a library and auditorium to the existing civic amenities was forged back in 1997, but the realisation did not begin until ten years later. Creating a contemporary interpretation of the seating in Roman theatres – traditionally known as the cavea – was point of departure: the roof of the building doubles as a stately exterior stair with seating steps. The stair is the building’s most outstanding feature and, in combination with the square adjoining it, provides a framework for outdoor events. The long corridor that cuts diagonally across the floor plan – its reinforced-concrete walls more than nine metres high and forty centimetres thick – constitutes a further component of the spatial concept. In addition to serving as the building’s structural backbone, it provides the required separation with respect to fire safety, but also functions as a buffer between the different areas – the event zone on the one side, and the more quiet reading room on the other. Both functions can also be discerned from the exterior. While the library’s “folded” facade is structured by three rows of strip windows, the auditorium is enclosed on all sides by uninterrupted walls. The architects selected coloured concrete due to its unifying quality; the material emphasises the clear geometry of the building massing. In many instances, the concrete’s smooth surfaces are covered in a bas-relief containing the letters of the alphabet – paying homage to the building’s function. In addition to the iron-oxide pigmentation – which brings about the reddish-brown tone – special lubricants and bonding agents were added to the concrete mix so that fluid concrete would take on the shape of the plastic matrices positioned in the formwork.
