Type
culture

Source
competition

Client
City of Celje

Address/Site
Celje, Slovenia

Site area
3.150 m2

Building area
1.232 m2

Total floor area
6.849 m2

Storeys
basement + 3 + 2 attics

Structure
reinforced concrete skeleton existing building, visible steel frame construction

Cladding
imprinted glass, claybrick

Architect
SADAR+VUGA (Jurij Sadar, Boštjan Vuga, Luisa De Grassi, Lucijan Šifrer, Or Ettlinger, David Ruić, Tomaž Krištof)

The new building of the Central Library of Celje is placed into the historical town area in such a manner that it generates three ties of public communication that connect the external urban space with a mall inside the main building, and from thereon with the departments of the library. The ties enable the connection between the most public, alternate areas of the square and the embankment, with the most intimate, quiet areas inside the library. In spite of the smooth flow between the ties and along the ties, the whole movement around the library is also followed and stimulated by the visual impulses (unusual, specifically designed pieces of furniture, the wall paintings, screens on the walls, the view on the upper terrace, archaeological wall in front of the hall…) that automatically encourage and lead to an exploration of the internal and external areas of the library.

The extension of the existent object with additions divides this otherwise unified mass into four parts: caesura, existent part with renovated façade, the storage area, and the extension part.

The extension and deformation of otherwise rational constructional grating into an open corner shows the intersection of the urban institutional and historical situation with lapidary and possible excavations of the wall dating back to the middle ages.