Usera Public Library in Madrid
The urban structure of Usera, a workers’ district in the south of Madrid, consists mainly of small-scale housing. The seven-storey tower of the new district library, therefore, forms a marked contrast to its surroundings. The elevated appearance of the aluminium-clad book tower is accentuated by a salmon-pink concrete plinth structure that bridges the different levels between the two roads flanking the site. With its large openings, the front face of this structure forms a backdrop for the area in front of the building where people stroll or relax in the open air. An artificial green landscape has been created on the roof of the plinth immediately adjoining a park, so that the residents of Usera have gained not only a new library, but an area of parkland as well.
