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Public Library
Blankenberge
2004 - 2011
In 2005 Sergison Bates Architects won the competition for the public library in the flemish seaside town of Blankenberge, As a consequence the british architectural office was responsible for the refurbishment and extension of a 19th century school building, which has a protected status as a local monument. The historic building and the extension became the public library after the major transformation process. The brief for the library called for a variety of spaces, each for a different kind of activity, resulting in rooms of different characteristics. As expected in a library, there are quiet and introspective rooms, but there are also lively and open spaces. The comfortable and introspective rooms with great ceiling heights, lined with books are to be found in the old building, while the spaces in the new extension have a different character, offering generous views into the cityscape. On both ends of the former school building are added new annexes, containing the children's library and administrative offices. The various spaces of the old builing and the extension are connected by a new circulation arcade, which is added as a layer on the rear side of the complex. The delicately detailed façades of the historic building have been carefully restored. The exterior of the new extension reflects the horizontal emphasis of the old building, which is established by the horizontal string courses and the vertical proportions of the windows. The façade of the new parts consists of storey-high brick wall slabs, which are arranged between continuous horizontal rails made of pre-cast concrete. The wall slabs, which have a textile-like character thanks to a carefully elaborated bond, are of different width, adjusted according to the needs of the interior and according to a proportional rhythm. Between the wall slabs are windows and fixed panels of anodised aluminium.