The Villa-Lobos Park Library (BVL), in the western zone of São Paulo, is one of five finalists for the best public library award from the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), the industry's most prominent international organization. The Villa-Lobos Park Library was built on the site of a former open-air landfill. The revitalization of the area led to the creation of a free-entry, open-access reading space, modeled after the São Paulo Library in Youth Park (Parque da Juventude), which has also competed for another international award.
The Brazilian nominee is competing with spaces from Norway, the Netherlands, the United States, and Singapore. This year, the institution, which is a UNESCO partner, received 35 applications from 19 countries. The winner of the award will be announced at the IFLA annual meeting on August 28, during a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The prize is $5,000 (approximately R$ 19.4 thousand).
The award criteria include the facility's interaction with its surroundings, its programming of services and activities, whether the library offers learning opportunities for the community, and if it is used in an innovative way to enrich the visitors' experience.
Project
BVL occupies a concrete, steel, and glass pavilion designed by architect Décio Tozzi and inaugurated in 2013 to host an environmental education center. However, the São Paulo State Secretariat for the Environment never fully occupied the pavilion, and it was subsequently repurposed for the library. The architect prioritized the use of exposed concrete, creating porticos integrated with a grid on the facade, featuring balconies that open onto the reflecting pools surrounding the building. Internally, the large double-height spans and generous openings framed by transparent glass create bright spaces.
The interiors were designed by Marcelo Aflalo, and the concept of integrating activities with reading served as the starting point, highlighting its multidisciplinary character. Among the adaptations made to house the library, Aflalo used several methods to ensure environmental comfort and reduce excessive glare, such as installing solar control films on the glass roof panels, as highlighted on the institution's website. On the facades, the design sought to shield the interiors from intense sunlight with a steel cable mesh covered in vegetation, which acts as a sun filter and reduces heat load.
Part of the ground floor is occupied by a circular plaza featuring a unique structure with semitransparent "petals" that filter direct sunlight. Underneath it, a wooden oca (indigenous-style hut) functions as large-scale furniture, equipped with tatami mats, cushions, and bean bags. The space is used for play and storytelling. A large-format panel summarizes the history of the Earth and the impacts of human activity on it.
Operations
No library card is required for those who wish to read the books on-site, and almost the entire collection is on display on open shelves – children's and young adult books are on the ground floor, and adult titles are on the second and third floors.
There are also comic books, computers, and a DVD collection, as well as tablets used for early reading activities for children aged six months to four years – who lie down, play, and read on the tatami mats available on the ground floor. The space is also used for author talks and yoga classes.
Inclusion is also central. Visually impaired visitors have access to all books in the collection through a device that reads the pages and automatically converts them into audiobooks. The library also offers narrated books (works performed by actors), books in Braille, and an automatic page turner. Only one room in the building requires visitors to remain silent. The philosophy of the São Paulo library is to have as few rules as possible.
Via HAUS.
This article was written by HAUS. The translation is powered by AI.
