{"id":40079,"date":"2014-07-07T16:45:05","date_gmt":"2014-07-07T14:45:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.area-arch.it\/en\/deusto-university-library\/"},"modified":"2017-04-12T17:54:21","modified_gmt":"2017-04-12T15:54:21","slug":"deusto-university-library","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.area-arch.it\/en\/deusto-university-library\/","title":{"rendered":"deusto university library"},"content":{"rendered":"

The university complex of Deusto has always played a very important role in the configuration of the left bank of the Dando river, as witness of the civic vocation the institution has always manifested towards the city of Bilbao. Not only have numerous professionals working in Bilbao received their education at Deusto for more than a hundred years, but the university has also played a very active role in the cultural life of the city. Even if the site and the town planning configuration may appear favourable, the ambivalence between the dimension of the block and that of the building as such has made this project a challenge. If we also consider that the Guggenheim museum dominates the scene, it is not hard to understand the difficulties which have accompanied the architect.
\n\"090-103<\/a>On the one side the new building does not intend to compete with the landmark represented by the Guggenheim, on the other it aims to convey its public character and to establish a kind of continuity with the entire university area. However, neither one nor the other of these conditions prevented the building from being ideated as an isolated structure, vaunting an own life within the park. These premises have made the architect decide to use glass bricks, a material which makes it possible to create soft facades, which do not compete with the Guggenheim and create a bond with the park. The glass bricks form a neutral, monolithic and monochromatic volume which is very different from the glimmering titanium of the Guggenheim, and which harmonizes with the green universe of the surrounding parks. The most efficient design element is the rounded corners, which turn the building into an independent and autonomous solid.\"090-103<\/a>The rounded corners, with their orthogonal facets, create a vivacious contrast with the translucent configuration of the glass brick. The architect has been seduced by the potential of this material; by night the volume becomes a kind of lighthouse, whose light leaves the museum in darkness, so that only its fissures are visible. The difference in terms of materials between the Guggenheim and the library becomes less marked if one considers how influential the museum has been to the orientation of the university building. Paying an obvious tribute to Gehry\u2019s building, Moneo has chosen to position the library so it is oriented towards the Guggenheim, whose vivacious volumes serve as backdrop for the reading rooms. This orientation is also witnessed by the position of the court, which underscores the public character of the venue, and helps to establish a connection with the park, of which the library aims to become a central element<\/p>\n