NEW ENTRANCE OF
THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF FRANCE
PARIS
FRANCE, 2011-2013
HERITAGE
PR–467
When the National Library of France decided to give up its vacant spaces to art-house film screenings, its entire East entrance had to be redesigned.
GALLERY
032
PROGRAM
To coincide with the opening of four MK2 cinemas within the National Library of France, the project aims to redesign and emphasize the new East entrance, giving it a strong and immediately recognizable architectural identity. This is achieved through the implementation of a steel structure combined with tensioned metal mesh panels, as well as the installation of a semaphore-style lighting mast designed as a landmark. The entrance is located below the level of the esplanade.
DETAIL
Situation
Bibliothèque nationale de France – Site François Mitterrand, Quai François Mauriac, Paris, France
Year
2011–2013
Status
Call for tender, winning project
Site area
1 270 m²
Built surface
1 815 m²
Client
MK2 A&E, Paris
Architect
Dominique Perrault Architecte
Engineering office
SNC Lavalin, Bollinger+Grohmann, Jean-Paul Lamoureux
Interior designer, design and signage
Gaëlle Lauriot-Prévost
DESCRIPTION
It had to be able to accommodate both cinema spectators and library readers. This led to the creation of a double screen forming a passageway, capable of receiving visitors coming from both sides of the esplanade.
READ MORE
Hanging on the large mesh panels of the entrance building, the BnF signage makes a strong impression. Like the rest of the library, the entrance was designed in a constant tension between two imperatives: the duty of preservation and the duty of creation.
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