Biblioteca Pública “L’Ourse”

This cultural facility forms part of a broader urban development plan in the town of Dinard. The coastal town in the north of Brittany lies opposite Saint-Malo. This essential project takes shape on the site of Dinard’s former train station.

The building has a triangular base and reaches out to meet the public space thanks to the emergence of two high walls, fracturing the building where the angle is most open and inviting people to pass inside. This entrance, seen as two arms extended towards the outside, makes us progressively appreciate the transition between the street and the interior. In the prolongation of these two walls, the roof is pierced by a linear skylight, which crosses the building along its whole length. This vast window onto the sky primarily adds light to the upstairs reading areas. The façades are rhythmed by opaque or transparent glass panels that reflect the environment in light and peaceful hues. The interiors, covered in wood and divided by transparent glass elements, are easily accessible, comfortable, and conducive to calm and concentration. A thin metal roof evoking the flight of a bird covers the upper-level terraces and can also accommodate the activity of readers, researchers, and workers.