Why the Gabriel García Márquez Library became the new icon of Barcelona

The project of the Gabriel García Márquez Librarylocated in Barcelona, ​​undoubtedly made people talk and did not stop winning awards. Since this public space specialized in Ibero-American literature It opened in May 2022it began to be called from “new icon” to “the cathedral of books.” Even, “Guggenheim of the neighborhood.”

In 2023 he obtained the title of “best new library in the world” awarded at the World Library Congress held in Rotterdam. He recently won the FAD Prize, the Ciutat de Barcelona Prize, the COAM First Prize and the NAN Prize, as well as other honorable mentions.

The news reached this side of the Atlantic when the Spanish studio SUMA Arquitectura, founded by Elena Orte and Guillermo Sevillano, took the Mies van der Rohe European Union Contemporary Architecture Prize (EUmies) 2024 in the Emerging category. In the coming weeks, the person who will cross the pond will be Sevillano, who is coming to participate in the 19th Buenos Aires Architecture Biennial.

But returning to the building in the Sant Martí de Provençals neighborhood, what should have been equipment No. 40 of the Barcelona Library Network Plan was much more than that: became the new emblem not only from the district but of the city.

The project was promoted by BIMSA – Barcelona City Council – as part of a three-decade plan to build these facilities in the city. SUMA won the competition held in 2015 and the inauguration of the space took place seven years later.

According to its authors, the building stands out for its sculptural quality with its large sculpted volume that evokes blocks of books stacked with folded pages.

Once inside, with its more than 4000 square meters distributed over five floorsthe library surprises with its great construction complexity and variety of internal spaces, with different functions, harmonized thanks to a holistic design approach.

Visually, the interior space is perceived as imposing and bright thanks to the articulation around a triangular atrium with overhead lighting. At the same time it is warm, thanks to the extensive and visible presence of wood, materials and furniture specifically studied in order to amplify comfort for the user.

The value of the facility is expressed not only in the new volume built but also in the urban planningsince the intervention managed to generate an elevated plaza at the intersection of the two secondary streets that flank the building.

This new chamfer adapted to the needs of the project allows for fluid pedestrian circulation around it, creating an urban hall surrounded by the large existing trees and partially covered by the overhang of the façade.

The new space has been baptized by the City Council with the classification and name of a plaza, which has been dedicated to Carmen Balcells, the legendary literary agent of the Colombian writer.

“When we are asked to summarize the Gabriel García Márquez Library in a few words, we usually describe it as a people’s palacefollowing sociologist Eric Klinenberg’s definition of those public facilities or spaces that, in addition to specific functions, are infrastructures of proximity and social cohesion,” explain Orte and Sevillano.

The project was accompanied by a programmatic researchdeveloped by the studio to redefine the contemporary model of this type of equipment, put in crisis by the rise of digital and virtual media. Thus, SUMA’s proposal opted for a holistic redefinition of the relationships between architecture, collection, staff and users, offering a group of ecosystems whose experience is irreplaceable by electronic means.

Spaces were defined for all types of audiences and ages, such as Agora-Showcasewhich offers a permeable and reconfigurable meeting and exhibition space at the entrance. Or the Ideas Forumwhere various types of meetings are provided with seats and tables of different sizes and heights, surrounded by semi-transparent curtains.

For his part, the Reading Palace It allows each user to enjoy a different experience, from taking refuge in their favorite sofa, as they would at home, or reading on the terrace or winter garden among rocking chairs and hammocks.

Los usos they got ready on its five floors. On the lower level, the social and community areas: patio and garden, an auditorium, the Radio Maconda studio and a space for neighborhood associations. On the ground floor, the access area, the current affairs bazaar and the ideas forum.

On the first floor, the children and youth space which includes a kiosk dedicated to Francisco Ibanez (the cartoonist who created Mortadelo and Filemón, who died last year) and a family area that evokes a park. On the second and third floors are the main spaces of the collection that offer diverse reading experiences. Finally, at the last level are the classes y silent spaces.

The building sits on three nuclei articulated around a triangular patioconnected by different wooden trusses, which house the most acoustically independent spaces and free open areas where the staircase that runs through the spiral atrium disembarks on each floor.

The central void results in a centripetal space, which multiplies the possible views and itineraries, articulating the library as a landscape full of unexpected offerings and encounters.

The wooden structurepermeable but complex and ecosystemically designedallowed the creation of a building five times lighter than if it were made of concrete, and that at the same time consumes less energy thanks to the construction solution of its light envelope of slats and ventilated façade of fiberglass with a high recycled composition.

The project is pioneer in the use of structural woodwithout visible joints, reinforced with steel elements, and highlights the extensive background of Orte and Sevillano as professors of structural design. In addition, it has numerous energy efficient strategies, both passive and active, which earned it certification LEED Oro.

Location. Barcelona, ​​Spain Project and DDO. Elena Orte and Guillermo Sevillano – SUMA Arquitectura Client. BIMSA – Municipality of Barcelona

Design team. Marta Romero, Jesús Lopez, Luis Sierra, Ana Patricia Minguito, Pablo Corroto, María Abellán, Sara Contreras, Rita Álvarez Tabio and Miguel Ángel Maure (SUMA) Technical project architecture. Nuria Sainz Work execution direction. Antonio Yoldi, Michael Angel Orcalla – MasterPlan

Advisors. Miguel Nevado (structures), ENAR (facade), Úrculo Ingenieros and M7 (installations), Julio Gonzalez (landscape), Margarida Engineering (acoustics), LEED CABA (energy efficiency) Photographs. Jesus Granada