With the Monique-Corriveau Library, Quebec City has added a pretty expressive new entry to list of architecturally significant places to crack open a book. Late architect Jean-Marie Roy is to thank for its vast, sharp, tent-like shell; he designed it for the St. Denys-du-Plateau Church, which was built in 1964. According to a project description, the conversion, which was undertaken by Dan Hanganu and Côté Leahy Cardas Architects, was a "very delicate operation" that required "special consideration due to its unusual, dynamic volume."
Completed in 2013, the structure incorporates a number of sleek platforms into the church's original wooden chapel, which houses the library's public functions, including reading and work areas. The glassy new additions are for administration, and the separation means that they can be kept open at different hours, while also marking "the transition from old to new." The place takes its name from Quebec writer Monique Corriveau, and harkens back to its mid-century roots through the use of "the vibrant, bold colours of the 1960s, which contrast the whiteness and brilliance newly captured in the remarkable form of the original church."
· Monique Corriveau-Library / Dan Hanganu + Côté Leahy Cardas Architects [Arch Daily]
· Houses for Books: Five Architecturally Impressive Libraries [Curbed National]
· Architectural Libraries Part II: Seattle, Oregon, Baltimore, More! [Curbed National]
· All libraries coverage [Curbed National]
· All Quebec coverage [Curbed National]
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