At the top of a hill, surrounded by residential buildings and next to the Municipal Offices, the design of this building could have followed two strategies. On one hand, it could have integrated the structure into the landscape, which would occupy the major part of the land in that location, and adapt itself to the topography. However, by distinguishing itself with a vertical floor plan, it would use less public land, consolidate departments, and give the building the institutional and serious characteristics required for a public library. The architects opted for the second strategy, perhaps influenced by their interest in skyscrapers, making the Public Library of Usera (Biblioteca Pública de Usera) an urban reference and a public observatory. By building up, the structure is not only spacious, with lofty ceilings and views of Madrid, but also efficient. The services are centralized, it is more secure, and the interaction between the different uses within the space is increased. In addition, the shape allows for places of austere monumentality that balance the areas of concentration. From the perspective of construction, the architects wanted to eliminate all complexity and hide the tectonic elements of the building. The structural materials are left visible, and the walls are covered with printed paper designed by Peter Halley , as the only decoration.
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En la cima de una colina, rodeado por edificios de viviendas y cercano a la Junta Municipal, el edificio podría haber seguido dos estrategias: la primera, integrarse en su entorno ocupando la mayor parte del solar adaptándose a la topografía; y la segunda, destacarse en una organización en altura, liberando suelo, compactando programas y construyendo el carácter institucional y significativo que requiere. Los arquitectos optan por esta última, quizás influenciados por su interés por los rascacielos, convirtiendo la Biblioteca Pública de Usera en un referente urbano y en un observatorio público. La superposición de programas se traduce en un apilamiento de espacios con maclas de doble altura que resulta eficiente desde todos los puntos de vista: centraliza servicios, aumenta la seguridad, fomenta la interacción entre usos y genera entornos de austera monumentalidad que propician la concentración. Desde el punto de vista constructivo los autores buscan eliminar toda complejidad y ocultar los elementos tectónicos del edificio. Los materiales estructurales se dejan vistos, con paredes forradas con papel impreso del artista Peter Halley como única decoración.