Innovative media library

The new media library of the Louise Michel centre in St Vaast les Mello opened its doors on 5th July 2022.

Building a media library in a small village with only 1050 inhabitants was a real challenge that the municipality proudly took up. The new library is part of a larger project which includes a school with 5 class rooms, a catering hall, and an activity room shared with various associations from in and around the village. The main objective of the municipality was to group education and culture in one place. But it was also to create a place for meeting, gathering, conviviality and exchanges.

On the outside, the media library is placed centrally in the village and is a landmark to the community. The facade, made of freestone from the village, as well as the glass entrance in the hall invites the public to come inside. Once inside, several elements such as the structure, the colours, the straight and crawling wooden ceiling, as well as the furniture invites the user to relax in very pleasant, natural lighting.

The layout of the media library is the result of a fruitful cooperation between the architect, the municipality, the librarian, and BC Intérieur, where they, as a team, chose the furniture, the colours and the fabrics used. They succeeded in creating a relatively small space (only 100 m²) dedicated to all members of the public: the wooden hut is the refuge for the smaller children, the sofa invites parents to read a story to their children, the high bar is the ideal place where you can meet to study or chat, the connected tables are ideal for working, Fat-boys to curl up in, small comfortable armchairs to drink coffee while reading a magazine… There is room for everyone.

At BC Intérieur we wanted an innovative media library, without a counter, so the public easily can circulate, and the librarian comes to the people, rather than the other way around.