kéré architecture shapes 40,000-square-meter public library in rio
Kéré Architecture unveils the design for the Biblioteca dos Saberes (The House of Wisdom), a 40,000-square-meter public library and cultural center set to anchor the revitalization of Rio de Janeiro’s Cidade Nova neighborhood. Commissioned by the Rio de Janeiro City Hall, the project will be the first built work of the studio in South America and its second library after the Gando Primary School Library.
A vertical cylindrical volume described as ‘the tree of knowledge’ centers the project, referencing species native to the Tijuca Forest and the communal function of trees in Francis Kéré’s hometown of Gando, Burkina Faso. This central structure organizes the three levels of the building, where reading rooms, library stacks, workshops, exhibition spaces, an auditorium, and a café are arranged in a gradient of activity. The perimeter of the building opens outward through landscaped terraces, shaded courtyards, open-air circulation zones, and a canopied amphitheater. ‘This library grows from the city’s history and wisdom, from samba that moves the body to the poetry that moves the heart,’ says Francis Kéré. ‘It is a home for knowledge that belongs to everyone, a place where past and future meet beneath one roof, open to the city and to the sea that carries its stories to the world.’
images © Kéré Architecture, unless stated otherwise
Biblioteca dos Saberes Honors the history of the country
The Berlin-based team at Kéré Architecture conceives the form of the building as a climatic and social infrastructure. A perforated facade mitigates Rio’s sun exposure, while rooftop gardens and the central tower contribute to passive ventilation and cooling, while a pedestrian bridge will connect the complex to a nearby monument honoring Zumbi dos Palmares. ‘From Little Africa to the world, Francis Kéré’s project pays homage to the Atlantic, African, and portside formations that have shaped this plural Rio — a home for all Cariocas,’ notes Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes. ‘A library of samba and of the people’s wisdom, it consolidates Rio’s legacy as the first Portuguese-speaking city ever named UNESCO World Book Capital — an honor that now becomes both a work and a symbol of our time.’
Rooted in the site of the former Praça Onze, home to Brazil’s first samba school and steps from Oscar Niemeyer’s Sambódromo, the Biblioteca dos Saberes draws from indigenous and Afro-Brazilian heritage, oral traditions, and the social fabric of Carnival. It also responds to the global history of the city, acknowledging the Atlantic as a conduit between Brazil and Africa.
Kéré Architecture unveils the design for the Biblioteca dos Saberes
a 40,000-square-meter public library and cultural center
a vertical cylindrical volume described as ‘the tree of knowledge’ centers the project
the project responds to the global history of the city
Francis Kéré presenting the Biblioteca dos Saberes | image by Marco Antônio Lima
project info:
name: Biblioteca dos Saberes (The House of Wisdom)
architect: Kéré Architecture | @kerearchitecture
location: Cidade Nova, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
size: 40,000 square meters
client: Rio de Janeiro City Hall
lead architect: Francis Kéré
design team: Mariona Maeso Deitg, Juan Carlos Zapata
contributors: Nik Bürk, Teresa del Arenal, Alice Furlanetto, Pierre Jules Gagnière, Federico Lenghi, Andrea Maretto, Pablo Sanchez Sanus, Yannick Schütte, Zeno Wolfsteiner
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