Library São Paulo – Aflalo and Gasperini Architects

The antithesis is strong in this project and it becomes clear to see that the Library of Sao Paulo, was once a prison, is now a place that delivers the freedom to explore knowledge and ideas through books.

The former Carandiru prison complex in Sao Paulo changed its face to become the new Youth Park. Inside the park, the library is the building that serves as a meeting point for citizens and living space a new cultural experience.

The building’s interior is spacious with top lighting, ensuring flexibility in design because the structure was solved using a frame each 10 meters consisting of 20 columns and 10 beams. Designed furniture creates a colorful, very graphic and fun, which was joined by glass spacers to deliver the necessary privacy to readers. The library is organized as a library, with the aim of further attracting an audience not accustomed to reading.

The interior layout is started on the ground floor, which consists of a reception area, auditorium, and some modules of reading for children and adolescents. The existing terrace was covered by a tensile structure that connects the cafe with a living room and other interior spaces.

On the upper floor generated a larger space, which contains several areas of reading and multimedia areas. On this floor there specialized furniture for disabled people as ergonomic tables, responding to ADA regulations, the building has floors tactile Braille inscriptions and ramps for wheelchairs.