Library in the Unadapted Premises: Development of Architectural Transformation of Space

Abstract

Siting, reconstruction, modernization of libraries in the unadapted premises has always been and remains till now a challenging practical problem in the global librarianship, which in each case obtains unique, unconventional solution. Soviet architects involved in the design of libraries — F.N. Pashchenko, L.Z. Amlinsky, V.G. Gelfreikh, A.R. Zimonenko and others — contributed to the development of this problem. They laid the modern and progressive theoretical and methodological foundations of the interdisciplinary section of library science — architecture and construction of library buildings which is actively developing in the 21st century, making the transition from the long-standing concept of the library as a repository for books to understanding it as a constantly changing, flexible and technological information space for all its subjects — visitors, readers and employees. Actualization of the complex task of creating a comfortable environment for the reader and librarian in the adopted for this purpose architectural space has come to the fore. The purpose of the article is to present an original approach in the pre-project study of the University library located in the Palace building in the form of an individual matrix of ideas and solutions. For the key conceptual ideas in the matrix of possible redesigning of the University scientific library the authors chose human centrism, openness, mobility and uniqueness. The paper presents architectural plans of the library, performed by master’s students of the St. Petersburg State Art and Industry Academy named after A.L. Stieglitz under the guidance of the architect-artist, Professor V.P. Timonin, as well as the matrix of ideas and possible solutions for the transformation of the material space of the library of the St. Petersburg State Institute of Culture, prepared by Professor M.N. Kolesnikova. The results of this work are of practical interest from the point of view of architectural design of libraries in the premises of historical buildings, that is an urgent global problem, as well as of theoretical interest for the development of modern library science in its sections related to library design, material and technical base of libraries and library imageology.