S U R R Y H I L L S C O M M U N I T Y
C E N T R E P R O P O S A L
- Addresses Crown St as its main facade.
- New building footprint has allowed for a laneway between buildings to be created. This allows the neighboring cafe/restaurant to open into the lane, increasing public atmosphere and encouraging involvement.
- The building fabric has conformed to traditionalist urban design form of buildings enclosing space, rather than buildings within space. This is noted by the facade sitting flush against the street.
S T I C K S A N D S T O N E S
a new public library in Villanueva, Columbia
Villanueva, Colombia, a small town 130 miles east of Bogotá, has long been caught in that country’s bloody 44-year civil war. It is known for its oil and its frequent spasms of violence; in 2001, right-wing guerrillas kidnapped 200 local farmers. Unsurprisingly, the town’s school system is in shambles. In an effort to right Villanueva’s sinking fortunes, the Colombian government turned to architecture.
A Modernist building in dialogue with the regional design vernacular, Villanueva’s new public library features local materials such as timber and river stones.
The 37,000-square-foot library commissioned for Villanueva—two enormous wood-and-stone blocks, one on the ground and the other raised on pillars—was built piece by piece by the community it serves. The focal point of its minimalist concrete-and-metal interior is an outdoor plaza; in a town that has been a playground for rival paramilitary groups, the library has become both a refuge and an agent of change.
