Biblioteca España & MetroCable - Medellín

Biblioteca España & MetroCable – Medellín

Two of the innovations that aided the transformation of the city of Medellín. The MetroCable and Biblioteca España.

Positioned high in the hills that flank Medellín is Biblioteca España. The monolithic black library with its ultra modern design is located in the northern part of the city in a neighbourhood called Santo Domingo.

The library is formed of three large asymmetric geometric buildings that house educational programmes and resources, libraries containing written resources aimed at all ages. There also exists a daycare centre to allow parents to take advantage of the opportunities that it offers.

Parque Biblioteca España is one of ten so-called “library parks,” an initiative of former Medellín mayor Sergio Fajardo. The libraries, all located in previously impoverished and violent parts of the city for the cornerstone of a socially progressive initiative for the transformation of Medellín. The goal being to extend learning opportunities to those communities.

Access to the library and to the neighbourhoods above can be reached by taking another one of the city’s landmark attraction – the MetroCable that preceded the construction of Biblioteca España.

Biblioteca España’s design

The Colombian architectural practice Giancarlo Mazzanti located in Bogotá was awarded the public contract to build Biblioteca España in 2005. The project was completed in 2007 at a cost of almost US$4 million. The library’s name reflects the fact that it was funded by the Spanish government.

The modern cubist design of the library stands in stark contrast to the simple houses in the neighbourhoods that creep their way up the hillside. The imposing silhouette is unavoidable as you travel towards in on the MetroCable.

Arriving at the library one notices that it is clad in rivened black slate tiles. Randomly grouped small rectangular windows punctuate the façade. Daylight enters the building through a series of skylights that run under the periphery of the roof.

The limited use of windows was one of the intentions of the architect in an attempt to disconnect people from their contextual surroundings. The architect stated that, “We wanted to take people from this poor community into another world and change their reality.” On a clear day the views from Biblioteca España and its patio areas are impressive to say the least.

Medellín MetroCable

Since opening to the public in 2004, the MetroCable has become yet another icon of Medellín’s cityscape. Cable cars proved to be an innovative way to link the communities on the steep hillsides on the eastern side of the city.

The MetroCable system integrates with the city’s Metro system that runs through the centre of the valley. Transfer from the Metro system to the MetroCable system does not incur additional costs.