former storage room now acts as colorful reading village
At Léopold Sédar Senghor School in Paris, Atelier Pierre-Louis Gerlier transforms a former storage room into an immersive library designed as a colorful learning landscape. The library functions as a small village made up of huts arranged around a large central square, which offers communal space for group reading, discussions, and collective activities. Each hut forms an intimate retreat where a child can sit quietly and immerses themselves in a book. Designed as active elements, the hut walls integrate bookshelves, seating, and openings that function as windows overlooking the central space. These openings allow readers to observe the life of the village while remaining comfortably settled in their own nook.
the architects redefine the room as an immersive environment | all images courtesy of Atelier Pierre-Louis Gerlier
atelier pierre-louis gerlier defines immersive learning space
The project begins with a quiet, underused library at a public school in a working-class suburb of Paris. Books line the shelves, but few students engage with them. The space feels large and cold, but holds clear potential to become a place of refuge, adventure, and discovery for the children. When the French Ministry of Education launches a national fund to support innovative educational initiatives led by teachers, one teacher at the school proposes a new vision for the library. The architects join the initiative and redefine the room not as a storage space, but as an immersive environment for reading, conversation, learning, and imagination. The studio sets a clear goal: create a place that nourishes children’s curiosity while respecting a limited budget.
each hut forms an intimate retreat where a child can sit quietly and immerses themselves in a book
village layout creates varied scales and toolS for curiosity
The varied layout of the huts creates spaces of different scales, from open gathering areas to smaller, more secluded corners for quiet reading. Through this design, the architects turn the library into an educational tool that encourages exploration and curiosity through space itself. Recognizing the strength of the proposal, the Ministry of Education fully funds the project and positions it as a prototype for other schools. As part of the transformation, the studio also develops the library’s visual identity and logo, giving the new space a distinct presence and recognizable image within the school.
the clear goal: create a place that nourishes children’s curiosity while respecting a limited budget
the library functions as a small village made up of huts arranged around a large central square
the hut walls integrate bookshelves, seating, and openings that function as windows
the layout of the huts creates spaces of different scales, from open gathering areas to smaller, more secluded corners
the central square offers communal space for group reading, discussions, and collective activities
the project functions as a prototype for other schools
openings allow readers to observe the life of the village while remaining comfortably settled in their own nook
project info:
name: Transformation of a library in a school in the Paris suburbs
architects: Atelier Pierre-Louis Gerlier | @pierrelouisgerlier
location: Paris, France
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edited by: claire brodka | designboom
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