The Generalitat, the central government and the Barcelona City Council agreed to resume the construction of the Provincial Library of Barcelona, a project that has been in the pipeline since 1997.
With this backing and after 30 years of delay, it is planned to invest around 55 million euros in the construction of this State facility.
At the present time, the Catalan capital has a library network with more than 40 municipal buildings (430 centers throughout Catalonia). However, none of them have the significant size to be in line with the rest of the major European capitals.
Work begins on the construction of the Provincial Library of Barcelona
The Provincial will be the largest public library in the country. It will be located on the left side of the Estación de Francia, in a disused building that was ceded to the municipality in 2004.
Demolition of this construction will begin on September 14 and will be carried out over a period of five months. With this, the procedures to obtain the building permit will begin in early 2023.
Although construction of the new building will begin at the end of next year, it is expected to be ready for inauguration in 2027.
The investment of 55 million will be the largest that the State has made in a library in the last 125 years, after having built the National Library in Madrid.
What the project consists of
The library will have 600,000 collections, three elevated levels and a usable area of approximately 16,000 m². The building can be accessed from different points of Ciutat Vella.
The project will be developed in this district, as it has strategic cultural and social points for the city. Among them, the Center of Culture and Memory of the Born, the Ciutadella Park and the future Ciutadella del Coneixement.
It is also located in an area of easy access to the citizens of Barcelona who wish to use its services.
For its part, the Nitidus Arquitectes office with Josep Maria Miró will be in charge of the architectural design of the library. It will take into account the initial proposals, but some reforms adapted to the current regulations and the demands of the present times will be maintained.
Josep Maria Miró assured that one of the main characteristics of the building is its flexibility.
The library’s spaces can be used for a “scaléxtric”, a conference or an event. It will have versatile spaces.
The Provincial Library of Barcelona, also known as the “state” or “central” library, has information rooms, reading rooms, access to the juvenile, children’s, general and specialized collections.
It will have a daily press room, multifunctional rooms, an auditorium, Internet access points, self-checkout machines, a cafeteria-bookstore, an auditorium and a parking area.
