The Name of the Rose : Addressing institutional placelessness through the design of a new Arcadian public library

Abstract

A placelessness defines the architectural expression of our public institutions; the sterile, the predictable and the generic characterise the experience of spaces that are meant to celebrate the identity and the ideals of a society. A pervasive and global condition helps contribute to the contemporary urban condition of sensory impoverishment and existential homelessness. As a means of addressing this condition of institutional placelessness, this dissertation proposes the design of a new community library in Venning Park, Arcadia. Through a celebration of the typical and essential character of the library type along with the critical application of June Jordaan’s place-making triad, this new library offers an alternative to contemporary architectural trends that generate placeless institutions and erode the relevance and autonomy of the public library.