The library retains its main volume of the twentieth century and the outbuildings are removed, so that the main body remains with arcades on the facade and a tower, thus maintaining its original essence. In addition, by removing the exterior cladding, the textures of the construction techniques used in the different extensions appear. Its plaza is designed to transform the former private garden into a new public space.
The project is one of the 50 finalists of the XVI BEAU Awards (Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism) in the City and Landscape category.
Gardens of the Font del Rector and Ca l'Altisent Library by Col·lectiu Brusi. Photograph by Adrià Goula.
Project description by Col·lectiu Brusi
The design of Ca l'Altisent and the Font del Rector Gardens is a joint intervention of architecture, public space, and landscape. It was born with the idea of creating a new urban route that connects the Vila and Town Hall squares with Church Square through the park and the new library square.
The rehabilitation of the Ca l'Altisent building to convert it into a public library has allowed the opening to the city of its garden and access to the stream and the Rector's fountain.
Gardens of the Font del Rector and Ca l'Altisent Library by Col·lectiu Brusi. Photograph by Adrià Goula.
The park
The new itinerary makes its way into an area where the vegetation of the stream has been gaining ground over time and eliminating any trace of old paths that ran parallel to the watercourse. This connecting infrastructure runs through a revegetated natural space with native species that are integrated following the contour lines -thus minimizing earthworks- and connecting both banks of the stream with a newly built platform. The result is a zigzagging, fully accessible route between the new library square and the church square.
The difficulty of execution in an abrupt and inaccessible environment has conditioned the constructive solutions of the project: dry-mounted elements, such as precast concrete sleepers for the pavement or metal railings, have been chosen to ensure optimal execution and maintain the maximum natural permeability of the terrain.
Gardens of the Font del Rector and Ca l'Altisent Library by Col·lectiu Brusi. Photograph by Adrià Goula.
The Square
The access square to the new library is designed to prioritize the widening of the space, the opening towards the Town Hall square, and the visual and spatial continuity, transforming the old private garden of the house of Ca l'Altisent into a public space open to the people.
A materiality linked to the character of the original garden is proposed: solid brick ceramic paving with sardinel that acts as a carpet for the building, combined with a sablon area that maintains the permeability of the terrain and a natural aspect linked to the past of the house's garden.
Gardens of the Font del Rector and Ca l'Altisent Library by Col·lectiu Brusi. Photograph by Adrià Goula.
The Library
The project preserves the main volume of the building from the early twentieth century, of little heritage value but of sentimental and reference value for Sant Climent. The proposal frees the building from the existing annexes to preserve the essence of the building: a main body consisting of a first floor with arcades on the facade, a first floor, and a tower that makes the building identifiable from a distance.
The proposal revalues the existing construction and shows the different phases of construction, removing the exterior cladding and making the textures of the construction techniques used in the different phases and extensions appear. On the façade, where stone masonry, terracotta, and ceramic work can be seen, a homogeneous painting treatment is carried out that gives unity to the whole and integrates all the original constructive and decorative elements: moldings, cornices, corner pieces, and railings.
The library distributes the different spaces on the first floor and second floor. The single-story glazed plinth embraces the building and is wrapped with a facade of ceramic slats that transmit neutrality and serenity toward the existing architecture.
