Castellanza Civic Library

Part of more extensive plan to redevelop the area, the new Civic Library in Castellanza is housed inside an old industrial building facing onto the river Olona. Together with the outside spaces the entire project acts in the small city like an authentic territorial zip, inevitably bringing together a range of services, not just information but also leisure facilities. So there aren't just reading and references areas but also conversation and meeting rooms, as well as zone serving no set purposes. The project leaves the factory structure exactly as it was: the building is a simple flat-roofed brick body on two floors that has been restored by bringing out its distinctive elements: the brick walls, the concrete decorations, the vaulted roof and the inner light pillars.