Public Library and School of Music & Donaldson Architects

The project focuses on “The Royal Store Almonte, registered as a Cultural, which has been renovated for use as a public library and an art school. Encased in a public square, the building is located in the “City of Culture” in Almonte and beside the new City Theatre.

The library is located in a former warehouse, a typical structure of the local area. Open on three sides, the building is 78 meters long and 10.5 meters wide, with a total area of ??821 square meters. The work included construction of a gallery without altering the structure of the building to maintain and incorporate the original features. The library occupies 14 of the 17 modules, and the remaining three modules are in the house of the School of Arts.

The main entrance is on the south-east of the building, giving it a more spacious feeling. The control of books / loans / administration is the first space and has a controlled height. The following areas are the press and the reading room, using the height of the gallery. The last space is the area of ??children, large illuminated by diffuse light sources, and a small storage area and a second flight of stairs. On the top floor is a reading and an audiovisual room.