Prod. Library

Ever since the genesis of libraries, their role as an establishment and their relation to their users have constantly shifted. Libraries in today’s society have taken on the role of a communal, civic gathering place where information is stored. This design of the Chelsea District Library seeks to take advantage of the diverse traffic libraries see today and propose a new role shift. Libraries are where history lives, where information is held and can be accessed. Looking at this from a critical standpoint inspired a commitment to shift the role of the library from just having history and information to creating it. This design introduces production spaces in the form of large objects that play a 3D chess game in their placement throughout the space of the library. These production spaces create tension between the old function of the library and the new function that is proposed as they coexist together in the library. Production spaces are spaces in the library that have transformed into areas where you can make or produce. Within the large objects is an auditorium open to professionals but also open to the community to be able to produce their own lectures, discussions, and performances. Within another object is an immersive room exhibition space accompanied by a project lab also open to professionals and the community, where users can learn and create media to tell their own stories to put on display. Lastly, there is a kids and teen space that contains screened desks where kids can write their own stories and comics and have them printed and edited with the help of library staff. The experience of going to this library is like taking out a book and putting a new one back. Overall the project seeks to bring the community to the library and promote a new way of experiencing a library in the society we live in today.