THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE

Reimagined as a hub of creativity, the new European Library boasts a surreal design of book towers that double up as elevators & rooftop forests inspired by the Garden of Eden

Project: European Library of Information and Culture (BEIC), Porta Vittoria, Milan; Architects: noa* network of architecture

Just as the cover of a book contains a story within, the new European Library in Milan conceals underneath it a green landscape of knowledge available to anyone who wants to grasp it. Imbued with surreal atmospheres of rooftop forests and flying books, the new cultural centre places the visitor in the perfect condition to venture into unknown worlds. The project's starting point was researching into the meaning, usage and features of a 21st-century library. Studio noa* reimagined it as a hub of creativity, aiming to create a stimulating environment for freeing the mind and acquiring new knowledge.

As a prerogative, a relaxed and quiet atmosphere has an added value and the possibility of moving in a hybrid environment breeding new ideas, where the line between inside and outside becomes blurred. Therefore, the design of a complex architectural structure was flanked by the creation of a natural landscape that permeates all spaces. The organic wave of the roof, the stylistic signature of the library, unexpectedly houses a flourishing park. This is to be viewed on a broader scale of urban parklands, of which the BEIC is a key element.