Multimedia library, Carcassonne

The ​“Cloud” is a tre­men­dous oppor­tu­nity for the city of Carcassonne to bend the court of his­tory by enga­ging the lower city towards urban rene­wal. Faced with increa­sin­gly frag­men­ted and indi­vi­dua­li­zed life­styles, it is cru­cial to res­tore a sense of belon­ging, to nou­rish com­mon cultu­ral fer­ments. The Cloud pro­vides eve­ryone with a place to live around books, know­ledge, trai­ning and culture in all its forms, pla­cing the user at the heart of their own approach. Like the mer­can­tile uni­verse, the ​“Cloud” is open to the out­side, lar­gely gla­zed to see and be seen and cle­verly pro­tec­ted from the sun by an eva­nes­cent cloud. In refe­rence to ​“Cloud com­pu­ting”, it is also a place of recep­tion, exchange and for sha­ring data, a place connec­ted to the world and ideas. Finally, the Cloud is a com­pact and trans­pa­rent pro­ject orga­ni­zed on three levels, fully connec­ted visually and func­tio­nally, relea­sing vast public spaces out­side: a rea­ding gar­den which accom­pa­nies the sequence of entry to the media library from the city, a bel­ve­dere and an urban forum on the river­side; IT fea­tures a stand out ter­race with a pano­ra­mic view unique on the city. For this pro­ject is a reflec­tion on the city of Carcassonne which his­to­ri­cally has inven­ted strong urban models: the lower city and its che­cker­board of streets at right angles and the city and its win­ding alleys per­ched on high are here finally reu­ni­fied in a new urba­nity.