This is the Biblioteca Parque España by Giancarlo Mazzanti in Santo Domingo, Columbia.This building is a library and also serves as a public transportation center, employment recourse center, auditorium, and recreational space. The library is in a dangerous and impoverished area of Columbia, and since its construction it has improved the surrounding areas by providing educational and recreational recourses to nearby residents, bringing tourism, and providing a cable-car system in an area with a significant incline.
In order to create a building like this, here are some of the necessary areas of study I can hypothesize-
Social Impact/Social Change- this building was constructed as a means of social and economic improvement in this area.
Transportation- this building has a cable car system, and transportation center which not only transports people to and from the building itself, but also up and down the terrain.
Lighting Design for architecture- the exterior lighting design of the library is important to the design as a whole because it is illuminated through the windows, and through projected light upwards from the ground.
Columbian/Latin American History- I think it is important to understand the history of the city, country, surrounding area, and region as a whole in order to create a functional building that serves the area well, and also takes into account the influences of the region.
Infrastructure for Public Spaces- this is a public building that serves many purposes, and is also free to access. It serves ordinary people, and people of all ages and social statuses. I think the range of uses for this building was definitely taken into account. Also, constructing and designing a public space im sure is different than creating a private space.
Tourism- This building is a tourist attraction that brings commerce to the area.
Stonework- This skill was probably not as necessary for the designer as it was for the contractor and builders, but the building appears to be straight black, but in reality it is a mixture of dark stones.
Library Science- This building is primarily a library, im sure that library organization, design, and usage was studied, perhaps librarians and curators were consulted.
Construction for Buildings on non-level ground- this building was construction on non-level ground, the ground is on a steep angle. Im sure this field was important for both the contractor and architect.
Course Description
I think a required course for architecture students should be something focused on the design and infrastructure of spaces in order to encourage and accommodate social interaction and function. In “The Death of The Monument”, The author shares how many spaces are created in order to be long-lasting and permanent, rather than functional for the present. However, in the modern day- social, public spaces are important because they serve ordinary people day-to-day. The contents of this course would include sociology and psychology, the study of free and public spaces, and emphasis on functional design. This would be useful for education because it would be a way for students to focus on how people would use spaces rather than the space itself. This would be useful to society and the world as a whole because spaces for everybody are important. Within the curriculum, I think this course should be a class offered towards the end of an undergraduate degree, because I think understandings of the basics or architecture would be necessary for a class like this
Brian's 212 Understanding Architecture Section 