SHSH

The long awaited project, Morlanwelz Library, which SHSH won the public competition.
We are restarting the project in 2024!

The intentions mentioned in the development plan are the result of a marked change in the user’s practice. The library is no longer seen as a place to read or borrow a book, but a place of training and collective expression. The paper collections give way to the services offered by the library staff.

Not far from downtown Morlanwelz, the challenge is to provide users with a wide horizontal platform which translates into better versatility, scalability and sustainability of the building. Space can grow, shrink, disappear to the profit of other spaces.

The roof, ​​entirely made of wood, is the most present element in the library. In between two pages of reading or during relaxing time, the roof provides a feeling of comfort, protection, well-being. Throughout the course, the user is immersed in different luminosities and views opening onto pieces of varied landscape. The general nature of the library is rather intimate and closed by itself. Occasional accents highlight some views to the street of Malaise, rue des Hêtres, the sports field, the patio and slices of the sky through the roof at varied heights. Without favoring a particular orientation, the library lets in the light of morning, day, evening and north, directly or through a tree canopy.

status : Preliminary design

client : Municipality of Morlanwelz

place : Morlanwelz, Be

architecture, furniture & landscape : SHSH

structure : Ney

building services : Sweco

acoustic and  environmental: Daidalos

signage : Benoit Henken & SHSH

surface : 1000 m²