G-mediatheque | Dimitra Kalasounta

Any library should be designed according to the form of media that it stores and the way that this media is used. A contemporary space of storing "new media" has to satisfy the needs of the new "information society" and the developments of technology. The information once provided by the book, is now getting digital, creating the need for a new type of building. A mediateque offers knowledge through the multiple experience of text, sound and image. The information displayed on such a building was one of the most important issues of the design process that defined the form as well as its functional structure. The facade of G-mediatheque is encountered as a membrane of data that transforms the building into a means of communication (media facade). A screen of such dimensions affects largely the surrounding urban environment. The proposal of G-mediatheque aims to cover the need of education together with the social interaction between the visitors. This is accomplished by the multifuctional spaces that are introduced due to the extra room made by the compressed volume of digital information. The bulding consists of the reception, the cafeteria, a magazine library, the new media storage space, a new media lab, a room of augmented reality, an auditorium, a room of temporary exhibitions and the administration room. G-mediatheque is located in Gazi of Athens. Gazi is a neighborhood of former gas-works, recently transformed into a museum - cultural and entertainment center. This area is near to archeological sites as it is the third point of the city's historic triangle, and it is offered for developing a public space that will contribute to the social life of the center. This type of building is designed to be suitable to the particular urban character of Gazi that combines entertainment and social interaction with culture. G-mediatheque is designed to attract different groups of users, like children and teenagers who want to discover a new method of education, adults and elders who seek for lifelong learning, professionals interested in special knowledge. Finally, as far as the form is concerned, the building consists of a raw of layers of information that forms space and bulids up the structure of mediatheque.