The project for the new José Vasconcelos Library sets new ambitions for a public library. The proposal is founded upon the promotion of accessibility, while also addressing the normal concerns of control and security. As an institution that normally suffers from an image of elitism, the importance of the new library is guaranteed by the desire to create a public place and destination and to bring the public across the threshold into it. To act as a public, social, and educational catalyst, the library must aim for a level of openness and accessibility, giving the building a clear mandate.
The library's relationship with the city, not just that of the object itself (the building) but also the design and consideration of its public space, defines its identity as a public building. The boundary at the edge of the building is not one of public space and chaos meeting the security and control of the public institution, rather the design looks to disperse this threshold by graduating the definition of 'outside' and 'inside'.
Two devices characterize this strategy; firstly, the library terrace, forming a sort of semi-public frontage, allows the library to spill outside into this protected public space and creates informal areas and access overlooking the public square; secondly, the creation of a central zone that runs the length of the building. This zone, mostly public at ground level and forming the library 'street', creates an informal heart of the building at each level, offering a casual atmosphere of sitting, browsing, and interacting. This central zone is flanked on the west and east sides by the collections and study areas.
A fundamental characteristic of the proposal is its volumetric representation. The proposal presents at the same time the large scale of the library and the intention to break down this scale. The composition of the library mediates between the individual and the city, resolving this apparent contradiction of scale by breaking down the library into many smaller volumes. In this manner, the building presents itself as a more open structure, questioning the monolithic nature of most institutions.