Bibliotheque Sainte-Genevieve, (Paris, France); 1851- Present;Industrial Revolution

Front Facade 

The Bibliotheque Sainte-Genevieve was designed by Henri Labrouste, who was a French architect born in 1801. He believed that we did not need an over ornamented building but instead a building that shows what it is, creating its own essence. He is most famously known for his two libraries, Saint-Genevieve and the reading room in Bibliotheque Nationale.  He was also one of the first architects that saw the importance of using iron frame construction.

Steel Arches

Which is very present in the Bibliotheque Sainte-Genevieve. The Library is very monumental in dimensions, 85 x 21 meters, filling up an entire French block. He started by combining three main volumes. One to store the ancient books, stacked on top was a volume for the reading room, and last a volume for the stair that was placed in the back to not interfere with the main spaces. One of the most important elements for a library is light. Labrouste was able to accommodate for all the function of light and even included symbolic use as well. For the Ancient books he made sure to have as little light as possible, to protect them. For the Reading room to make sure the readers had enough light he used a Basilican plan. This was originally a volume with a timber roof and a simple split of columns. As architectes wanted more height and windows, they raised the bustress to extend the whole length of the walls. Labrouste did not want anything interfering with the light getting into the room, so he moved the buttresses to the interior. The outer walls were heavy masonry that seems to disintegrate into thin steel columns. With this steel system he was able to create high windows. Labrouste was very attentive to include a comforting environment for the users. He was very precise in measuring the angle of the sun at the summer and winter solstice; allowing the space to always have light, along with protecting the books on the bottom. He included an amazing stack ventilation system for it time. For stack ventilation to be successful you need significant change in height and temperature. To create these conditions, he installed metal sheets under the roof to maximize the difference in heat between the outside and inside, the size of the building was already significant for its time. The grills on the roof, to let the air out were well blended into the overall design of the roof to not be seen from the outside.

Reading Room 

This library had many firsts, including the first to use writing to detail the facade of a building. Labrouste had the names of 810 scholar carved onto the facade of the building. Since, St. Genevieve was the first library to be open late, he wanted to combine the ideas of night and day. When looking up at the steel arches holding up the double vaulted room, the detail is a moon and a sun combining. When entering the library, the entry is very dark and one is suppose to walk all the way to the back, the stairs. Here the public is met with a light and finally once in the reading room, the place is flooded with light. Labrouste meant for the library to be like a temple, but for knowledge. When someone enters they are naive but once in the reading room they become knowledgeable. Once walking into the main reading room, the books are stacked against the walls, with a second level available by a mezzanine level.

The narrow building is very plain on the exterior. Labrouste wanted a very modest building in comparison to its counter, the Pantheon. The facade has nothing protruding from it, not even the main door. In his original drawing he had a decorative doric portal, but he removed the columns and even reseeded the door. The project was given to Labrouste in 1838 and was completed in 1851, the fact that after all these years such a complex building with such specific needs for the comfort of people and care of books is still standing in a tight city space really shows Labrouste’ understanding of taking everything complicated and turning it into something simple and beautiful.

Plans and Section

Works Cited

“Bibliotheque Sainte-Genevieve, Paris, France, Building.” Celsus: A Library Architecture Resource - Bibliotheque Sainte-Genevieve, Paris, France, Building, libraryarchitecture.wikispaces.com/Bibliotheque+Sainte-Genevieve,+Paris,+France,+Building#cite_note-5.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Henri Labrouste.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 4 May 2010, www.britannica.com/biography/Henri-Labrouste.

“5 Bibliotheque Sainte-Genevieve.” Sustainable Building Design: Learning From Nineteenth Century Innovation, by Vidar Lerum, 2016, pp. 46–53.

“The Sainte Geneviève Library.” YouTube, YouTube, 8 Apr. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nppr08mEks4.