Biblioteca/CRAI de la Ciutadella – Edifici del Dipòsit de les Aigües, Barcelona, Spain

Name of the Library: Biblioteca/CRAI de la Ciutadella – Edifici del Dipòsit de les Aigües
Parent Organisation: Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Street Address: Ramon Trias Fargas 25-27
Postal Address:00005 Barcelona
Telephone : + 34 93 542 1709
Web Address: http://www.upf.edu/bibtic
Library Email: crai.ciutadella@upf.edu

Type of Library: Central/ Main Library
Population served: Universitat Pompeu Fabra community
Project Type: Conversion , Refurbishment
Size (square metres):14.850 m2
Date of Completion: 2003
Architect
– Josep Fontseré (1874, original building)
– Lluís Clotet and Ignacio Paricio (1992,  conversion project)

Description
The Dipòsit de les Aigües is a building designed in the late nineteenth century to contain 10,000 tons of water on the top and outside, at a height of 14 meters above the ground. It was used to irrigate and supply water to the cascade of the adjacent Ciutadella Park. The interior of the building, elaborated as a large forest of columns and arches, had no specific purpose when it was designed.
The conversion as a Library space was based on these principles:
• maintain the appearance and structure of the original building, gaining surface with the creation of a mezzanine floor
• increase exterior lighting by opening skylights in the ceiling
• combine the modern equipment and facilities result of the conversion with the original quality of the building.
This combination of features makes the Dipòsit de les Aigües an ideal space for concentration and individual work for our users.

Awards, case studies, further information
2009 Década Price (Oscar Tusquets Foundation) for the best architectural works built in Barcelona 10 years after its Implementation
Magre, Anna. From a Reservoir Building to the Main Library of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra.  Liber Quarterly, vol 10 (2000), No 2, p. 266-278
Building history

 

 

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The Pavello de la Republica Library, Barcelona, Spain

Name of the Library: The Pavello de la Republica Library
Parent Organisation: The Learning and Research Resources Centre (CRAI) – University of Barcelona

Street Address: Av. Cardenal Vidal i Barraquer, 34-36, Barcelona Spain
Postal Address: 08035 Barcelona
Telephone : +34 934285457 (incl Country code)
Web Address http://crai.ub.edu/ca/coneix-el-crai/biblioteques/biblioteca-pavello-republica
Library Email bibrepublica@ub.edu

Type of Library: Special Library
Population served: University community and researchers specialized in contemporary history of Spain
Project type: Refurbishment
Size (square metres): 1.300 square metres
Date of Completion 1937 (original building) / replica of 1992
Architect Josep Lluis Sert and Luis Lacasa (original building of 1937)
Antoni Ubach, Miquel Espinet and Juan Miguel Hernandez Leon (replica of 1992)

Description
In 1937, while Civil War raged in Spain, the Republican government took part in the Exposition internationale des arts et techniques dans la vie moderne, popularly dubbed the Paris International Exposition of 1937. Civil war, however, led to changes in the blueprint for the project, which had initially been envisaged as a showcase for the technical advances made by participating nations. Instead, the Spanish pavilion was recast to bear witness to the tragic political situation unfolding within the country: “The Spanish section at the exposition (…) can and must depict the present moment and the extraordinary efforts of the Spanish people in defence of their independence and the cause of peace in the world”.

The pavilion, known as the Pavelló de la República, was conceived by the architects Josep Lluis Sert and Luis Lacasa as an empty box. It stood three storeys in height and contained almost no walls. The first floor was kept clear and it opened onto a courtyard that was covered by a canvas awning and served as an auditorium. A staircase climbed to the second floor and a ramp led up to the third, although vertical access was also available within the interior of the structure. The construction of the building reflected severe constraints on time and materials and the plans had to be adapted to sloping terrain and a requirement not to damage any pre-existing trees on the assigned plot of land.

The basic purpose of the pavilion was cultural and informational in nature. The aim was to provide news on the current situation in Spain, clearly state the Republican government’s objectives and stress the heroic struggle of the Spanish people. Displayed in the interior of the pavilion and on its facade, which acted as a sort of giant billboard, were posters, photographs, photomontages, proclamations, informative panels, and works of arts and crafts sent directly from Spain by the central government, the governments of the autonomous regions and the trade unions. Many of the works on show sought to influence public opinion with their references to the situation of Spain before and after the Republic and on the war itself.

The construction of the building, reflecting the severe constraints on time and materials imposed by the civil war, marked a significant architectural achievement in terms of its contributions and relationships with the prevailing avant-garde of that time. Pablo Picasso exhibited his famous painting Guernica alongside works by other artists, such as Calder’s Mercury Fountain, Julio González’s sculpture La Montserrat, Miró’s mural The Reaper, and Alberto Sánchez’s sculpture The Spanish People Have a Path That Leads to a Star, which stood outside the pavilion. A great number of the works of art on view were expressly created for the pavilion and represent the artists’ commitment and solidarity in the face of the tragedy exacted by the civil war.

For the 1992 Olympic Games, the Barcelona city hall commissioned a study from the architects Ubac/Espinet to create a copy of the original Pavelló de la República, which had been destroyed at the conclusion of the 1937 Paris International Exposition. Today, this emblematic building, given by the Barcelona city hall to the University of Barcelona, is home to the Pavelló de la República Library Collection, one of the world’s foremost sources of documentation on the Second Republic, the Spanish Civil War, the Franco dictatorship, exile and Spain’s democratic transition, particularly as these events affected Catalonia. Today, visitors to the pavilion will find a reproduction of Picasso’s famous Guernica in the open courtyard, where the original painting first hung in 1937.

Jaume Fuster Library, Barcelona, Spain

Photo: Jordi Casañas

 

Name of the Library   Jaume Fuster Library
Parent Organisation:   Biblioteques de Barcelona

Street Address: Plaça Lesseps, 20-22
Postal Address: Plaça Lesseps, 20-22    08023 Barcelona
Telephone : +34 933684564
Web Address: http://www.bcn.cat/bibjaumefuster
Library Email:  b.barcelona.jf@diba.cat

Type of Library : District Library
Population served:  120,976
Project Type : New Building
Size (square metres): 5.636 m2
Date of Completion:   2005
Architect:   Josep Llinàs

Photo: Jordi Casañas

Description
The library Jaume Fuster is part of Biblioteques de Barcelona (Barcelona Libraries), the entity that manages the network of 40 public libraries in the city.

Jaume  Fuster (1945-1998) was an outstanding writer who turned his hand to various genres, including detective fiction, the epic, the novel and political journalism. He was also an excellent translator, and received the Serra d’Or critics’ prize in 1989 for his Catalan translation of Albert Cohen’s novel Belle Du Seigneur. Besides contributing articles to the major Catalan media, Fuster was also a film and televisions scriptwriter.

The library collection encompasses more than 105,000 documents, on different supports and in different fields, which is increased each month by new acquisitions. A selection of newspapers and magazines is also available.
The library contains documents referring to Gràcia district (associations, artists, writers, history, customs, traditions, etc.), as well as works written by authors from or with particular links to the neighbourhood. The local collection also includes local magazines and information about the annual local festivities, the Festa Major de Gràcia.

Photo: Jordi Casañas

The library is devoted particularly to travel. Moreover, it also focuses on the following centres of interest and collections:
• Self-access language learning
• Biel Moll collection
• Bruguera collection
• Compulsory reading at IES and CEIP primary and secondary schools
• Mexico and Argentina
• Parents’ corner
• Catalan rumba

The Jaume Fuster library organises a wide range of different activities for all: book clubs, storytelling, seminars, children’s workshops… These activities are aimed at transmitting the pleasure of reading and encouraging users to discover new authors and learn more about current issues, linked always to the books and other materials in the library.

The programme Molt per aprendre (“Lots to Learn”) includes two seasons: Creacions (workshops devoted to writing, oral and visual arts) and the Aula Digital (introductory activities to computers, photography, self-access language learning, freeware and creating blogs).

The library also supports the education community by welcoming schools visits and providing facilities and services, as well as organising digital literacy programmes.  As an ACTIC testing centre, the library enables students to sit the examinations to obtain the official certificate. Moreover, the library is a member of the Antenes Cibernàrium network of technology training points. These educational facilities are completed by the organisation of language exchange groups.

Awards, case studies, further information
In 2006, the building was awarded both the Fad Architecture Prize and the Catalonia National Prize for Architecture and Public Space.

 

Sant Pau – Santa Creu Library, Barcelona, Spain

Photo: Jordi Casañas

Name of the Library   Sant Pau – Santa Creu Library
Parent Organisation:   Biblioteques de Barcelona

Street Address:  Carme 47 – Hospital 56
Postal Address: Carme 47 – Hospital 56    08001 Barcelona
Telephone : +34 933020797
Web Address: http://www.bcn.cat/bibsantpau
Library Email: b.barcelona.spsc@diba.cat
*
Type of Library: Medium size town library
Population served:
Project Type: Refurbishment
Size (square metres): 1.127 m2
Date of Completion:   49,225
Architect:   Is a XV Century Building. The refurbishment is from Arq Forum. SLP

Photo: Jordi Casañas

Description
The library Sant Pau- Santa Creu is part of Biblioteques de Barcelona (Barcelona Libraries), the entity that manages the network of 40 public libraries in the city.

The library building forms part of the former Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau site in the Raval neighbourhood in Barcelona. Though the Gothic building we see today was completed in various stages after 1401, its origins lie in a Tenth-century hospice and hospital for pilgrims. The site ceased to serve as a hospital in the early-twentieth century, when this function was transferred to the Hospital de Sant Pau.

Santa Creu children’s library and Sant Pau young people’s library were established separately in different sections of the building in 1940 and1941. In 1970, the Sant Pau library was transferred to its present premises, and five years later the Santa Creu library was also added. The facilities were reorganised and refurbished in 2010 and today form a single library with different sections to cater for all users.

Photo: Jordi Casañas

The library collection encompasses more than 56,000 documents, on different supports and in different fields, which is increased each month by new acquisitions. A selection of newspapers and magazines is also available.

The library includes a section devoted to El Raval, with a collection of documents referring both to the neighbourhood itself and to Ciutat Vella district in general. The section also contains local periodicals that have been published over the years, some still in existence, as well as films linked to the neighbourhood. In this section, users can also visit small thematic exhibitions and consult the database.
The library has a special collection devoted to the Arab world. Also focuses on the following centres of interest:
• Learning basic Catalan and Spanish
• Vocational training
• Immigration and cultural diversity
• Oposicions (civil service examinations)
• Parents’ corner
• The Indian sub-continent

The Sant Pau-Santa Creu library organises cultural activities and programmes aimed at encouraging reading amongst different ages and interest groups: exhibitions, lectures, book clubs, storytelling, children’s workshops… The library also hosts, promotes or takes part in many initiatives that are generated in El Raval, forming networks with other organisations to develop projects. These activities are aimed at transmitting the pleasure of reading and encouraging users to discover new authors and learn more about current issues, and are always closely linked to the library collections.

The programme Molt per aprendre (“Lots to Learn”) includes two seasons: Creacions (workshops devoted to writing, oral and visual arts) and the Aula Digital (introductory activities to computers, photography, self-access language learning, freeware and creating blogs).

 

 

Camp de l’Arpa-Caterina Albert, Barcelona, Spain

Biblioteques de Barcelona. Jordi Casañas

Name of the Library: Camp de l’Arpa-Caterina Albert
Parent Organisation: Biblioteques de Barcelona
Street Address: Indústria, 295
Postal Address: Indústria, 295 08026 Barcelona
Telephone : +34 934508646
Web Address: http://www.bcn.cat/bibcampdelarpa
Library Email: b.barcelona.ca@diba.cat

Type of Library: Medium size town library
Population served: 70,072
Project Type: Refurbishment
Size (square metres): 2,489 m2
Date of Completion: 2012
Architect: Núria Oliveras, Jordi Oliveras, Elian Peña (Oliveras Boix Arquitects)

Description
The library Camp de l’Arpa – Caterina Albert is part of Biblioteques de Barcelona (Barcelona Libraries), the entity that manages the network of 40 public libraries in the city.

The library was named after the neighborhood where it is, Camp de l’Arpa, and the writer Caterina Albert (L’Escala, 1869-1966), better known under the pseudonym Victor Català. Located to the north of the District of St. Martí, is a cultural and proximity center to the neighbors of the Camp de l’Arpa, Clot, Navas and southern Guinardó. The library, located in the former textile factory Bonaventura Costa i Font opened in December 2012. The refurbishment is made by Oliveras Boix Architects. It occupies 2,489 m2 spread over three floors organized flexibly and functional.

The library collection encompasses more than 44,000 documents, on different supports and in different fields, which is increased each month by new acquisitions. A selection of newspapers and magazines is also available.

Biblioteques de Barcelona. Jordi Casañas

The Camp de l’Arpa – Caterina Albert library organises a wide range of different activities for all: book clubs, storytelling, seminars, children’s workshops… These activities, which are aimed at transmitting the pleasure of reading and encouraging users to discover new authors and learn more about current issues, are always linked to the library collections.

The programme Molt per aprendre (“Lots to Learn”) includes two seasons: Creacions (workshops devoted to writing, oral and visual arts) and the Aula Digital (introductory activities to computers, photography, self-access language learning, freeware and creating blogs).

The library is also a member of the Antenes Cibernàrium network of technology training points. Finally, the library also supports the education community by welcoming schools visits and providing facilities and services.

Awards, case studies, further information
2012 Basf Architecture Award