Heams & Michel

La Turbie Mediatheque

La Turbie Mediatheque
© S. Demailly
La Turbie Mediatheque
© S. Demailly

LA TURBIE MEDIATHEQUE

Heams & Michel Architectes

PHOTOGRAPHS
S. Demailly, M. Coen

AREA
100.0 m2

YEAR
2010

LOCATION
La Turbie, France

CATEGORY
Mediatheque

Text description provided by architect.

In the old village of La Turbie, close to the Trophy of August, we were asked to transform an old abandoned oven in a mediatheque.

La Turbie Mediatheque
© S. Demailly
La Turbie Mediatheque
© S. Demailly

While respecting the history of this place that is so important for the inhabitants, this project is as atypical as the program and its geographical situation.

The old ovens are completely demolished to create a maximum of surface. Their memory is preserved by the projection of their footprint on the ground.

La Turbie Mediatheque
© S. Demailly
La Turbie Mediatheque
© S. Demailly

In this small place, we designed mobile and ludic systems to answer to the complicated program and its different functions. Along the peripheral walls are nested linear racks, illuminated by tubes of light embedded in the wall, in a high position.

These shelves can receive books and also small colored seats and caster boxes. A large piece of furniture divides the space, playing with the different perspectives.

La Turbie Mediatheque
© S. Demailly
La Turbie Mediatheque
© S. Demailly

It offers a desk and two computers. Sliding partitions with magnetized surface can be used for posting, creating animation on the wall.

A partition on casters nestled in the wall of the toilets can be opened, doubling the surface of posting. This partition can also acts as a projection screen.

A large glass roof illuminates the reading areas with natural light. Artificial lights in a shape of drops water materialize the ludic space that is at the place of the old ovens. The pieces of furniture are all in white enameled wood.

La Turbie Mediatheque
© S. Demailly
La Turbie Mediatheque
© S. Demailly

This colour was chosen to increase the feeling of space and to contrast with the colours of the architecture of the village. Three colours were chosen for the furniture which punctuates the space. A glassy wall is printed of quotations of famous authors who wrote about La Turbie.

This glassy wall comes in superposition of the existing stone facade, writing a new page in the history of the village, without disclaiming the past.


La Turbie Mediatheque
© S. Demailly
La Turbie Mediatheque
© S. Demailly


La Turbie Mediatheque
Plan
La Turbie Mediatheque
Plan


La Turbie Mediatheque
Section
La Turbie Mediatheque
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La Turbie Mediatheque
Detail
La Turbie Mediatheque
Detail

Heams & Michel
T +33 4 93856080
Heams & Michel
6 Rue Scaliero, 06300 Nice, France