On the site of a former industrial warehouse, Andrea Maffei Architects (along with Arata Isozaki) have realized a new public library filled with light and bound by an undulating curtain wall. Before construction ever began, Maffei and Isozaki beat out 150 other teams for the opportunity to realize a new library for the city of Maranello, Italy. In their solution, a solid wall surrounds the perimeter of the site, and the plan looks not unlike someone has drawn a cloud or amoeba in a box. The library, itself, has a bright interior bound by curving glass walls. Between this glass wall and the solid site wall, a shallow pool of water surrounds most of the project, giving the impression of a serene interior. It doesn’t hurt that the interior of the project is mostly white.
