Medialibrary La Madeleine

Tank Architectes converted an imposing former police station in La Madeleine, in northern France, into a medialibrary that appears as an extension of the square at street level.

Tank, Mediatheque La Madeleine, La Madeleine, France. Photo Julien Lanoo
The deal of the project delivered by Tank is to restructure and extend a former police station, very imposing on the square des Fusillés et des Déportés but disconnected from its urban environment.
The accessibility of the equipment is modified: the space becomes an extension of the square at street level. The library is divided into two entities: the reception hall and reading room whose schedules may differ.
Tank, Mediatheque La Madeleine, La Madeleine, France. Photo Julien Lanoo
Tank, Mediatheque La Madeleine, La Madeleine, France. Photo Julien Lanoo

In the reading room, the qualification of spaces, light and acoustic atmospheres is treated through a roof: the active layer.

The interior atmosphere refers to both warm interior of town houses’ reading rooms and qualities of factories’ open spaces bathed in a diffuse overhead lighting. The media library overlooks a garden which encourages the link between the neighborhoods downtown.


Mediatheque La Madeleine, La Madeleine, France
Program: medialibrary
Architects: Tank
Engineering studies: SNC Lavalin
Economist: PHD Ingéniérie
Acoustics: Daniel Caucheteux
Client: Ville de La Madeleine
Area: 2,200 mq
Completion: 2013

Latest on Architecture

Latest on Domus

Read more
China Germany India Mexico, Central America and Caribbean Sri Lanka Korea icon-camera close icon-comments icon-down-sm icon-download icon-facebook icon-heart icon-heart icon-next-sm icon-next icon-pinterest icon-play icon-plus icon-prev-sm icon-prev Search icon-twitter icon-views icon-instagram