Library of the University of Valladolid

The solution was already in the building.

Palacio de Santa Cruz is a melting pot of two pieces of heritage: the building and the collections that it houses, some of which date back to before the 10^th century. The renaissance proportions, the spatial sobriety and the high academic regard for the architecture sit alongside a book collection of great relevance.

Updating the space like this requires fitting new features without interrupting the silence and experience of reading, nor breaking up the library’s visual purity. Added to this is the fact that any design must keep damage to the furniture and the collections to a minimum by avoiding dust, handling and impacting the environment. A highly controlled approach had to be taken to access and maintenance work.

Against this backdrop, the design falls back on the constructive logic of the space. The LENS FLUSH-MOUNTED luminaires are fitted inside the crosses that span across the hall, specifically, they make use of the cavities already in the crosses to blend in with the architectural ensemble. The workaround to the maintenance work is to carry it out from the upper part of the ceiling, without the need to have it done directly in the hall.