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Architects: Proyecto Reacciona A.C
- Area: 80 m²
- Year: 2021
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Photographs:Hector Padilla Ferraris
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Manufacturers: Gilsa, Ladrillera Mecanizada, Trimble Navigation
Rehabilitation. The Rehabilitation of the Héctor Caballero Library is the third intervention within the community program Crear Comunidad, by the Asociación Civil Proyecto Reacciona. Crear Comunidad aims to find libraries that are in poor condition to rehabilitate them through citizen participation. Each rehabilitation seeks to generate a meeting point for the community, which allows the development of cultural activities, in order to reduce the high rates of violence and increase the quality of life in the area. For the development of our projects, a work methodology is used (designed by Proyecto Reaccion) whose objective is to create a strong link between the user and the project.
In each intervention, we seek the direct participation of the community in the conceptualization, development, and execution of the project. The work tables that are developed in the early stages of the project are very important for the true success of this intervention. These work tables help us to identify the true needs and tastes of the users and to be able to transfer the information collected in an inclusive proposal. Project Description. The project consists of the rehabilitation of a municipal library in the State of Nuevo León, Mexico. The main objective of the intervention is to meet the community's requirements to make this space a place that allows the development of positive activities. The design proposal was prepared taking into consideration a low and limited budget, so an innovative design using low-cost construction techniques was proposed. The exterior is composed of four facades made mainly of bricks installed in four different types of angles to generate walls with movement that allow the use of indirect colour on the front faces of the brick. This same process is implemented in the window openings to replace the metallic protection. A white colour was used in order to unify the facades. This same white tone allows accentuating the use of other colours, used in the door, in each of the front faces of the bricks and in the word Biblioteca (Library) which is installed in the upper part of the main facade. Inside the building, we focused on rehabilitating three pre-existing rooms, of which two were unused. In the consultation and general study area, which is located in the largest room, metal bookcases were removed and replaced by bookcases made of concrete, designed to take into account air and light accesses.
Being a small space, these bookshelves were designed to have space to function as benches, as well. The second room, which is the smallest, was transformed into a computer and private study area, in which yellow was used as a detail with the intention of favouring lighting and enlarging the space. Finally, an interactive staggering was added to the cellar area that transformed the space into a multipurpose area capable of hosting projections of documentaries, conferences, exhibitions or function as a more relaxed reading space for the younger users. Construction costs. The project was financed by three different sources. 1) Money raised by the Proyecto Reacciona Association. 2) Money and sponsorship of materials by companies in the vicinity of the Library 3) Labour by the municipality.
