Dream Library Concept

The refurbishment of the library and archive building of Garage Museum of Contemporary Art became the second stage of FORM Bureau’s work with this project. In 2014 it was preceded by a massive renovation of existing building named Cloackroom №2. Since 1940s the building changed its purpose may times, before library and archive it previously housed kindergarten, children’s art studios, ice skate rental facilities and warehouse.

Since its opening the number of visitors as well as the library’s fund increased rapidly, and the archive began to shape into an important part of the museum. Changes of these institutions’ roles brought the need to reorganize the building’s interior and facades.

The project is based on Gorky Park’s heritage. New appearance of the library and archive is the collage of its past images as well as the next step of the building’s evolution. Wooden terrace encircles the library, it refers to the open portico that was planned here back in the 1940s. The terrace connects all parts of the building. That will remove the fractional outbuildings and create an additional space to rest for every visitor of Salut playground that is located nearby. The roof is elevated above the existing level to let in the ribbon window circling the window’s perimeter. This is a throwback to the constructivist heritage of Gorky Park. The solution is not only stylistically accurate: it will help to increase the amount of daylight inside the library.

The decoration of facades is the consequence of research into the archive of Gorky Park’s temporary architecture. The image of pavilions that no longer exist has been revived in the voluminous pattern of brick, clinker and ceramic tile made after the patterns of 1920s-1930s decoration. Retrospective and caring approach develops the idea of a library slash archive as well as the idea of collecting the architecture. This is the space where people, history and memory are united under the same roof.