The Children’s and Adolescents Libraries Organisation, the brainchild of Annette Schlumberger, was founded to give children, in distant and sometimes underprivileged areas of Greece, the experience of a meaningful library through focused and innovative programmes.
Sgoutas Architects have been, for the past 20 years, the consulting architects of this organisation. The scope of their work included, apart from the design and supervision of the libraries, the selection of buildings suitable to house these libraries. Overall, more than 15 generally small buildings have been converted into libraries for children and adolescents in urban and rural centres such as Lavrio (listed building), Miki, Trikala, Syros (listed Ziller building), Mataranga, Konitsa, Vlachioti, Xylagani etc., covering a total surface area of over 5000m².
As most of these buildings were evocative of an older, different way of construction, the design and modifications were in keeping with the character of the original buildings. A design concept was developed ensuring a common, for all, aesthetic and functional approach, always taking into consideration the different nature of each building.
Design Team
Architects
Sgoutas Architects
Structural Engineers
E.Antonoulas
MEP Consultants
Tekem Ltd.
For the design of the Ecological Library, the spiral chosen is the “Archimedes spiral”, its width remaining the same between two consecutive turns. The spiral form urges the visitor/user to follow a circular route having as its central focal point the internal court/garden while at the same time allowing for free movement within the library. Exposed concrete, on both inside and outside, and colour enhance the overall concept.
Design Team
Architects
Sgoutas Architects
Structural Engineers
S.Rodis
MEP Consultants
Tekem S.A.
Inspiration for the building came from the “treble clef” to which it owes its form. The pitched metal roofs and the metal cladding on the walls both refer to the characteristics of gypsy houses and to ephemeral structures. The interior consists of a large open space with a number of small music booths protruding from the basic volume of the building.
Design Team
Architects
Sgoutas Architects
Structural Engineers
Ch.Kechris & Associates
MEP Consultants
Tekem Ltd.
Walls, of variable height, fold in the form of crooked planes to create the spaces housing each of the libraries. The planes terminate, at different angles, at high points of variable height, thus creating roof shapes in the form of “bird wings”. The overall geometry of the libraries appears, in this way, different from every side. The materials used are environment-friendly, quick to erect and easy to dismantle.
Design Team
Architects
Sgoutas Architects