Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council Central Library Headquarters and Cultural Centre Proposal

Integration to site, to history
Facing the historic Victorian main passenger port and next to one of the earliest commercial railways in the world, the location of the library on this waterfront formerly designated for leisure and recreation will help to create a cultural and educational landmark, next to additional commercial and recreational activities built, under planning or under construction with a view to making up the shortfall in city revenues.

Our proposed building takes its inspiration from the history and traditions of Ireland. Its shape is a contemporary expression of monolithic Celtic dolmens with spiral reliefs symbolizing initiation, creation and growth. The entire structure also spirals around a central open atrium, inundating the heart of the building with natural light -- light being the essential precondition for the act of reading. It integrates with the overall Urban Structure Plan and thus connects to the hierarchy of roads and public spaces, including the partial covering of the railway and its transformation into a waterfront promenade. In this way it helps reinforce the connection between the town centre and the sea. This building is opaque/translucent from the outside and transparent through screens from the inside.

Access to the building is from both east and west: in the east, the Haigh Terrace promenade, bringing users from the city, acts like a pontoon bridge to this ship of knowledge. It gives access at the 1st floor level after walking along the cafeteria frontage which adds atmosphere to this somewhat austere section of the road with its sparse restaurants and cafes. In the west, the building is visually connected to the station, notably by virtue of a pedestrian access to be created along the harbour road, the half-covered railroad deck (which we propose to build as a teak deck but not fully covering this historical railway and therefore retaining partial visibility) and the gardens adjacent to the library.

Design Approach, Design Solutions
The Central Library, the Library Headquarters and the Cultural Centre are all incorporated within different strata of the monolith wrapped in a climate conscious shell, deriving from our research on the 'third skin' (the first being our natural skin, the second our clothing and the third being the skin of the building). Seen from the sea and integrated into its urban environment the building represents a monolith of knowledge and culture embracing and reflecting the outlines of the surrounding hills. Seen from the hotel and the city the building encapsulates the image of a ship, both distinct from and yet fully integrated with the waterfront. The transparency of the first two levels beckons the public to venture inside. The upper floors are mostly equipped with a screen system at the inner skin in order to avoid the deleterious effects of direct sunlight on the books and the computer/video screens. The two first floors of the building maintain a feeling of ambiguity, of being simultaneously both outside and in, thanks to exterior walkways which connect to the pond and the gardens.

Oriented towards the sea, most visual aspects are from the north towards the harbour . Most of the reading areas are placed at the southern and northern tips: the head of the building at the north affords 270 degree views. All book storage and shelving are at the heart of the building and utilize indirect natural lighting in order to prevent damage to the books. All temporary bookshelves at outer façade areas are protected by the double screen from direct sunlight.

Façade system, HVAC and sustainability of the building
The façade consists of a double skin including part of the building structure. The outer façade –the epidermis- is a single sheet glass façade with only glass and joinery visible from the outside, and sashes behind the joinery, the whole held together with a secondary uneven diamond shaped tubular structure itself connected to the main structural frame holding together the outer and inner shells forming roofs, walls and the ceiling structure under the monolith. This outer skin protects from wind and rain but allows the air to ventilate the premises and by assuring an appropriate ventilation flow affords a proper balance in the humidity level. The inner skin –the hypodermis- is a double glazed façade seconded with shoji style movable sun screen panels that protect against direct sunlight and glare. All fluids (ventilation/ heating/cooling/electrical pipe spaces and ducting), all elevators and emergency staircases are brought to the derm, like the blood and lymph vessels, sensory nerves and mechanoreceptors within our skin. Thus the temperature is controlled at the skin level in order to consistently provide a pleasant human temperature level inside. The skin sensors are capable of reacting to different solar angles and seasons including the exposure of the façades to the diurnal variation in the sun's rays. The volume between the two skins –- the dermis -- is also occupied by the structural frame of the building. Additionally though, in a manner reminiscent of the window alcoves in the thick walls of traditional stone buildings, it accommodates reading area alcoves cantilevered over this space. The effect is to afford a sense of relaxed intimacy, yet combined with superb panoramas that invoke a feeling of being projected into the surrounding landscape.

Structure
The combination of structure and double skinned façades is inspired by the bulkhead and hull design of tankers that reflect back to Ireland's maritime history. Steel I beams rotate around the building from the roof through the ceiling of the first floor in the south and down to the basement in the north of the building to establish the building's defining C shapes. Two twin pillars secure the vertical load distribution for each C shaped section, harking back again to maritime history, from the design of modern tankers all the way back to the triremes of antiquity.

IT/Media
The sophisticated library service we envisage is completely automated. All floors are equipped with outlets for every kind of computer and information flow depends upon a wireless 'airport' system. This makes it easy, for example, to connect to the library's server in order to find the right floor, or the appropriate service to search. This high level of automation makes it possible to fully integrate "specialist", "housebound" and "schools" services. It permits access equally from individual homes and from all the schools in the county. By ensuring that every study desk has full access to state-of-the-art information technology it brings the benefits of the latest advances directly to the public.

Vision details and functional organization
The Cultural Centre occupies the Ground floor and the 1st floor. It is mainly oriented towards the Moran Park. The multicultural space and the workshop are visually open to the outside, interacting dynamically with the pond. The gallery extends along the retaining wall, profiting from a skylight to the east. All spaces can be linked to accommodate big exhibitions.

Of relevance to all age groups the building provides easy access and circulation for the handicapped, the elderly and, with specific furniture in designated spaces, for the very young as well. The youth library occupies the ground floor facing the plaza at the north, the mezzanine and the 1st floor, and features easy independent access from the entrance. Extending on three levels, it is connected by a series of wide steps that create a small amphitheatre.

All main reading areas are located in the south and the north ends of the building. The general reference library features a double height ceiling on the fifth floor, above the general adult lending library. Music practice rooms are treated as completely enclosed acoustic boxes floating in the dermis space. The library administration headquarters occupy the west side of the building on the fifth and sixth floors, above the ancillary accommodations.

All specified surface areas are respected to within ±5%. We propose that each area be named in honour of a famous Irish writer/artist/economist/scientist. Possibilities that spring to mind include Samuel Beckett, Annie Hector, Neil Jordan, James Joyce, Georges Moore, Christopher Nolan, Frank O'Connor, Joseph O'Neill, George Russell…

A consideration for the arts
We suggest featuring a giant symbolic sculpture in the pond (not included in our construction budget, but there is enough remaining budget to include this feature) forming a symmetrical equilibrium with the sculpture 'Christ the King' at the end of the Haigh Terrace.

The clocks
The original Dun Laoghaire clock is mounted on the western façade facing the station. The mechanism and pendulum will be inside the double skin and visible from the double height floor of the main reading room on the 5th floor. All other clocks of national interest and part of the national heritage are placed along the outer corridor under the 2F atrium.

Landscaping/Urban integration
Our proposal is centred on the bowling green cardinal points which make a 7° angle between the parallels drawn by the Haigh Terrace at the east and the shopping centre block on the western side. On this basis the design fits in seamlessly to create a unified entity encompassing all adjoining public spaces, Haigh Terrace, The Metals, the gardens of the Royal Marine Hotel. The partial covering over of the railway line affords a new public open space that contributes significantly to the overall integration and livability of the central city. Of prime importance, however, in the project prospectus is the way the building relates with its immediate environment, the green, the pond and Metals.
With its exciting mix of ultra modern architectural technology and deep respect for the forms that have moulded Ireland's, and Dun Laoghaire's history, this design shines as a jewel that not only complements and enhances the charm of the city, but makes it an even more pleasant and fulfilling living environment.