Librarium
Library Interiors for the PIK Group of Companies
Librarium
Moscow, Russia
Area: 420 m²
A library and coworking space in a school with a focus on bioengineering
Moscow, Russia
Area: 420 m²
A library and coworking space in a school with a focus on bioengineering
The key goal of the project is to radically transform the library from a single-purpose institution into a dynamic, multifunctional center. We intentionally combine functions within a single space that are usually separate from one another. Here, quiet reading areas coexist with bustling art spaces, coworking areas with a lecture hall, and digital installations with traditional bookshelves. Under one roof, a dialogue emerges between elements that might seem incompatible. This is a collaborative space where each zone retains its own identity but is enriched by its proximity to the others. We are creating not just a new place, but a new cultural environment where knowledge meets creativity and tradition meets innovation. This synthesis creates a synergistic effect, transforming “Librarium” into a magnet for a diverse audience and generating new, vibrant content.
The design of the “Librarium” project is based on an interpretation of the process of biological cell division. This metaphorical image forms the basis for the spatial layout, in which individual zones simultaneously acquire their own identity while remaining parts of a single organism. The spaces interact with one another: they are functionally independent but visually and structurally interpenetrate, creating a dynamic and complex environment. “Librarium” symbolizes the birth of life and multifunctional activity within the static space of a library. Just as a cell is the fundamental unit of life, so too does this space become a living, evolving unit of the urban environment.
A library is a kind of “living” organism that goes through its own daily life cycle, which begins early in the morning and ends at the close of the workday. Throughout this cycle, the space can function as a single, unified whole—like one large biological cell—or it can “divide”: transform itself to form separate functional zones.
