Bressanone Library

The proposal for the new Bressanone Civic Library positions the building as an active cultural and information hub, fully aligned with the IFLA manifesto: a civic place open to residents and visitors, supporting education, creativity, and public dialogue.

The project begins by recognising the value of the existing buildings on site and completing them with a new volume that provides the institution’s “heart” and visible identity. The former Guardia di Finanza is refurbished and woven into the new circulation system so its historic character is preserved while becoming functionally integrated. The Tribunal building is similarly absorbed and reassigned to key library uses. The main entrance is oriented toward Piazza del Duomo, marked by a clear gesture in the forecourt to establish an intuitive arrival sequence, while a secondary connection to Via Bruno increases permeability and everyday accessibility.

The new building aligns with the established urban geometry and roofscape, adopting a language consistent with its surroundings while introducing transparency and a contemporary material palette, glass paired with cor‑ten, to signal openness and ease of access to culture.

Architecturally, the library is conceived as a place to linger and explore rather than a static repository. A welcoming “living room” at the entrance combines information point, informal reading, internet access, and café-like use, while the garden becomes a central asset, embraced by the new form and integrated into daily life. Acoustic performance shapes the internal zoning: the new building supports quick research and browsing through open thematic areas with face-out shelving for intuitive selection, while the Tribunal’s first floor is dedicated to quieter study and consultation, offering both desk-based work and secluded relaxation areas. The envelope acts as an architectural “epidermis,” creating a relational, not mimetic dialogue with the natural and cultural context. A rigorously patterned metal skin frames the cultural volume, generating real and perceived depth and encouraging both perception and imagination.

Operable filters and mechanically opening screens provide protection while animating the façade through controlled movement. Vertical cuts and transparent stretches reinforce the idea of looking through the building toward the landscape, with a deliberate sequence of partial concealment and gradual reveal culminating at the entrances.

Functionally, the scheme meets the brief in full, delivering approximately 2,500 m² of gross floor area and the required shelving and programme content. Floor levels in the new building are set at an intermediate datum between the existing structures, linked by gently sloped corridors and galleries that remain fully accessible. A three-storey lobby void introduces a moment of surprise on arrival and makes the relationship with the pre-existing buildings explicit.

Programme distribution is clear: administration and primary circulation occupy the refurbished Guardia di Finanza at ground level, with the lending point oriented toward Via Bruno. The first floor hosts the children’s library, with a ludoteca and audiovisual areas above, while the under-roof space is reserved for conferences and book presentations. In the Tribunal, the ground floor is used for storage to consolidate administrative functions, and the first floor becomes the quiet zone for non-fiction and narrative collections.

Construction and services are developed for clarity and long-term performance. A longitudinal “filter” element, perceived as interior furnishing, conceals a steel loadbearing structure organised on a regular grid integrated with the façade. Horizontal structures are concrete slabs cast on composite profiled decking, with floor build-ups designed for strong acoustic absorption.

client. Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano

year. 2010