Mediatheque Casiraghi Gorizia

Waltritsch a+u projected the new Mediatheque, part of a larger complex named Casa del Cinema (Home of the Film) located in the Gorizia, Italy.

Here is the project description:

The new Mediatheque is part of a larger complex named Casa del Cinema (Home of the Film) which includes the Kinemax multiplex, several associations dedicated to the cinema culture, the DAMS Cinema section of the Udine University, and finally the Mediatheque. One place, located between the city main square and the castle hill, which gathers commercial, cultural, educational and promotional activities dedicated to the film culture. This combination of different activities is obviously quite unique, and particularly important for the small city of Gorizia.

The Mediatheque stands on the ground floor between the street and one internal passage, so it has two entrances, facing the city as well as the University. The simple plan layout divides the space into three main areas open to the public: the newspaper and magazines hall, the study space and the video room. Behind the reception and reference point, which is visually connected to both entrances, the are separated rooms as storage and one office.

All spaces are bound by book and media shelves at full height. One shelve line is marked by a strong color, different for every area, providing specific identity. The same colored shelve line defines the glass facades as well, becoming a communication vitrine, where you directly expose new arrivals, or organize a small exhibition directly facing the public street. The newspaper and magazine area have a custom designed star shape reading table and a cross shape information counter, and is thought for informal gathering. The tables in the study room can be reorganized in order to host reading evenings or presentations.

Part of the project is the new façade on the public street as well. A series of colored glass panels on the higher part of the facade are facing the built and natural context of the historical city heart. The dialogue with the surrounding buildings goes through the use of the typical color palette of the building render, and the slight and not intrusive reflection of the surroundings provided by the colored glass. This allows the context to be dilated into the Mediatheque building façade: a “form of transit” of the everyday life.

Photos by Marco Covi, © Dimitri Waltritsch

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