This residency was held in Lezoux, a small town located 30 minutes from Clermont-Ferrand and which initiated the construction of a new multimedia library common to several municipalities in 2012. The question raised was how to adapt the library to new uses related to reading, digital advances, and new cultural practices in general. Designed as a service node and a hub for social links and to generate dynamics in the local and regional context, the library is to be the source of innovative scenarios to better match the expectations of citizens and stakeholders locally.
For 3 weeks, the team worked to understand existing reading practices – exploring, for example, the book collections of the inhabitants themselves and collective practices related to reading (book clubs, volunteering in libraries, etc.). The participation in this process by the various stakeholders involved was key since the residency promoted a “radically different view of the public reading policy, where small institutions and volunteer librarians are no longer the last links in a system that is too big and too centralized for them, but instead comprise the basis for engaging in new practices for local interchanges.” (Hubert Guillaud, Internet News). As a result of this approach, a plan for new uses of the library was established and used by the architect to make changes in the library’s spatial organization; it also served as an inspiring resource for professionals in this field.
Learn more about the project: download the French deliverable
And discover it in photos
