International design competition
platform Volume zero has announced the results of the Tiny Library 2023 Architecture Competition.
With the world constantly
evolving, there is a ton of information being formulated out there. Human intellect today is expected to evolve at
the same rate for our world to continue our journey into the future. Despite
all the information, reading and self-learning remain the most powerful tools
available to mankind to consume knowledge. Learning increases awareness,
exposure, and productivity, which leads to development.
Despite its importance, education is still inaccessible to many communities in
remote locations around the world. Self-learning, especially through reading,
is crucial for the society’s development. It is important to power the growth
of like-minded networks. It is necessary to have places promoting education and
self-learning to educate the local population within the closest proximity. It
will make them accessible to gainful employment opportunities in their home
towns and will thereby avoid the need for migration elsewhere.
The competition challenged its
participants to rethink and re-imagine the idea of the Library as a
21st-century self-learning and educational incubation space that not only sheds
light on conventional means of knowledge but also encourages its users to
interact, share ideas, and grow together. Participants were required to design
a Tiny Library optimized for 75 users with engaging multifunctional spaces for
all ages and spatial experiences where they were required to choose a site in a
rural or remote context for the proposal and the structure should not exceed
300 sq.mt of built-up area.
Volume Zero Competition thanks all the competitors for
participating in this competition and for contributing to this competition's
research.
Participants from more than 50 countries contributed valuable concept ideas to
the contest, which was evaluated by a panel of international experts. The
winning projects have been awarded a total cash prize of $4,000 distributed to
the first 3 team winners.
Jury Panel of Tiny Library 2023 Architecture Competition
Jury Panel of Tiny Library 2023 Architecture Competition
The esteemed jury for judging this
competition consisted of Puran
Kumar (Studio PKA), Peter W. Ferretto (Condition Lab), Lui Hanxio
(LLLab), Ahmad Thaneem (3dor concepts), Antonio Garza Ferrigno
(Proyecto Reacciona), Catherine Ranger (MGS Architects), Luis Ricardo
(LLLab), Sebastian Irarrazaval (Architect).
The top three winners were awarded
total prize money of $4,000 while ten entries received Honorable Mentions. Here
are the winning entries. The full result for the competition
Tiny Library 2023 Architecture
Competition can be found at -
https://volumezerocompetitions.com/competitions/result/21
FIRST PLACE - The Ship of Knowledge by BOURGEOIS LECHASSEUR ARCHITECTS (Canada)
Tiny Library 2023 - First Winner
The Ship of Knowledge: A Tiny Library as an Educational
and Social Incubator
“If a boat spends too long tied up in harbour, it misses
the sunrises and sunsets, the crashing waves, the singing gulls and the purpose
for which it was created. The spirit within us needs more nourishment than most
of us provide. Let go of the moorings and seek the open water. “
-
K.J.M., Live Life as a Boat (2017)
A boat is a place within isolation. The heart of the cosmos
for those who sail it. Designed to reflect the maritime universe that inhabits
the Entry Island, the Tiny Library is a landmark in the territory. Indeed, the
project is inspired by the site’s socio-cultural context and the economic
activities that characterize its genius loci: deep-sea and walrus fishing. Part
of the Magdalen Islands, this treeless territory is charming by its rolling
green hills and the authentic but few Scottish descent families who occupy it.
Set in this island environment, the library aims to become the Noah’s Ark of knowledge.
SECOND PLACE - Reclaiming Progress by Ravisha Rathore and Devesh Uniyal (India)
Tiny Library 2023 - Second Winner
“In the vast Himalayan Mountain range lies Thapli, a remote
village on the verge of being completely abandoned by its own people. In this
slow process of desolation, the first to leave are the men, while the women
work trifold still holding the agrarian village together. Our interest lies in
the Women of Thapli, the last fully functioning members of the village, that
were systematically kept outside the “economic scheme” and hence is also the
only one capable of challenging it.
By appropriating the traditional concept of a library/- pustakaalay/
gyaan aashray for the women of Thapli, this intervention aims to create a
transformative space that challenges the prevailing notion of progress defined
solely by urbanization. Instead, it highlights the intrinsic value of self-sustaining
village ecosystems and their potential to chart a more environmentally
sustainable and inclusive future.
THIRD PLACE - The Seventh Generation Library by Roberta Vasnic and Ian Sanders (United Kingdom)
Tiny Library 2023 - Third Winner
This library
has been designed to be part of its natural seating. Not simply to be located
within a Banyan Tree Forest, but to be enveloped by the roots of this unique
tree. The Banyan Tree holds a special place in Indian culture. It is the
country’s national tree and its aerial root system, climbing downwards from the
canopy, offers a means to integrate the library in the local ecosystem.
Building on the indigenous theory of the seventh generation, the library would
be constructed predominantly in timber and, over the generations would become
wrapped in the roots of the trees above, until it becomes a living part of the
forest.
This metaphor
carries into the use of the building. As a library located adjacent to the
Living Roots Bridge, on the edge of Riwai, in the Meghalaya region of India,
its purpose is to establish, enhance, and embed knowledge in the community.
This knowledge will grow over generations, as the roots cloak the structure,
rooting the library into the community and nature. The building is divided into
three primary elements: General knowledge and fiction, a children’s section,
and an information technology suite. Each element is accessed off a central
courtyard which can be used for community events, art and sculpture
exhibitions, and lectures.
Honourable Mention 1 – Traveling Stories by Salmah Beydoun (United States)
Tiny Library 2023 - Honourable Mention 1
Honourable Mention 2 – Beyond Borders by Alexander Tarek Araj (Germany)
Tiny Library 2023 - Honourable Mention 2
Honourable Mention 3 – One Roof Library by Aman Bhavsar and Joy Ann Lim Ee Hsien (India)
Tiny Library 2023 - Honourable Mention 3
Honourable Mention 4 – Paper Pavilion by Antar Ghazoul (United Kingdom)
Tiny Library 2023 - Honourable Mention 4
Honourable Mention 5 – The Nomad by Thakan Navapakpilai and Xiaobai Zhao (United States)
Tiny Library 2023 - Honourable Mention 5
Honourable Mention 6 – Textile Tome by Akkarawin Valinluck and Pimchid Chariyacharoen (Thailand)
Tiny Library 2023 - Honourable Mention 6
Honourable Mention 7 – NASIKI by Dilianis Arenas (United States)
Tiny Library 2023 - Honourable Mention 7
Honourable Mention 8 – Librarinha by Pedro Medeiros De Faria (Brazil)
Tiny Library 2023 - Honourable Mention 8
Honourable Mention 9 – Mestia Library by Alexander Babushkin and Sophio Bedoshvili (Russia)
Tiny Library 2023 - Honourable Mention 9
Honourable Mention 10 – THE NOMADIC LIBRARY by Nahom Redda and Amanuel Demissie (Ethiopia)
Tiny Library 2023 - Honourable Mention 10