A Library That Gets Around

Architizer News

A Library That Gets Around

July 9, 2012

Books are difficult objects. They are heavy, awkward, difficult to move, easily damaged (by light, water, the human touch), and yet easy to steal. All of these make the task of distributing and sharing books more difficult, but the challenges grow exponentially when there is no building to facilitate this.

One solution is the A47 Mobile Library, designed by PRODUCTORA, a Mexican architecture firm, and operated by Fundación Alumnos47, an organization dedicated to encouraging learning and reflection centered on the arts and contemporary visual culture in Mexico City. As seen on domus, “The Mobile Library” carries over 1,200 books and other bits of printed matter by or about contemporary artists around the Mexican capital’s neighborhoods in a specially designed truck. Continue.

Bookshelves have been replaced by overhead trays, freeing the floor of the Mobile Library for reading and social events. The floor is composed of panels that can be arranged in varying configurations, allowing stepped seating for lectures, raised platforms for reaching the books, or completely open space for large groups. The walls of the truck are built out of steel mesh doors, allowing some visual porosity when closed, and creating a strong link with the city around the Library when open.