MURCIA PUBLIC LIBRARY

This is a building with a conventional structure composed of reinforced concrete columns and solid slabs. The most appealing architectural feature of the building is definitely the way natural daylight is captured. Half-open hollow sculptures, which are covered with reflecting material, are placed in large rhomboidal openings in the floor slabs so to channel natural daylight from the rooftop down to the lower floors.

Another worth-mentioning feature is the use of timber piles below the continuous foundation slab so to reduce its deformability and increase the soil’s bearing capacity. These piles are set below the minimum groundwater table so to maintain them submerged, avoiding their decay due to varying ground conditions.