第三空间图书馆 / NAS architecture
La Source Third-Place Library / NAS architecture
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圣约瑟夫礼拜堂建于1638年至1734年间,经历了多次扩建和改建,从曾经简陋的隐士小屋,到使用了在战争中被毁的卡斯泰拉斯城堡石材的建筑。自法国大革命以来,该礼拜堂经过多次改造,1995年,附属的住宅建筑被拆除,在Rue de l'Église与Rue du Grand Pont的转角处形成了一个小广场。这个位于罗什福尔-迪加尔(Rochefort-du-Gard)历史中心密集都市肌理中的开放空间长期未被充分利用,该广场东侧毗邻圣约瑟夫礼拜堂(曾作为市政厅使用,直至2017年因结构安全风险关闭),南侧则紧邻一栋破旧的无窗谷仓。
The Saint-Joseph Chapel was built, expanded, and modified between 1638 and 1734, replacing a modest hermitage and using stones from the Castellas Castle, which had been destroyed during the Wars of Religion. Since the French Revolution, the chapel has been repurposed multiple times as a town hall, school, and municipal office. In 1995, the attached residential building was demolished, creating a small square at the corner of Rue de l'Église and Rue du Grand Pont. This open space in the dense urban fabric of Rochefort-du-Gard's historic center had remained underutilized. The square is bordered to the east by the Saint-Joseph Chapel—used as the town hall until it was closed in 2017 due to structural risks—and to the south by a derelict, windowless barn.
The renovation and extension of the Saint-Joseph Chapel into a Third-Place Library marks a significant urban act, preserving heritage while revitalizing the village's daily life, which has been impacted by population decline in favor of surrounding areas. The primary goal was to bring the community of Rochefort-du-Gard together around a vibrant cultural identity. The project is organized around the village square, establishing a strong relationship with the library's ground floor to enable cultural events to extend outdoors. The north façade, fitted with accordion-style folding glass doors, opens completely to foster engagement with the town, blurring boundaries and expanding possibilities. A bridge connects the new library to the rehabilitated Saint-Joseph Chapel, which now houses a digital museum. The museum will host perse educational workshops throughout the year, centered around various cultural themes.
The materials of the extension reflect a layered duality. At ground level, the mass of the concrete base forms a protective plinth that echoes the village's stone architecture. The walls are bush-hammered to develop a texture and patina that harmonize with the surrounding masonry. Concrete is also used for its structural strength, allowing a span of over fifteen meters so that the library's boundary disappears entirely when the folding doors are opened. The upper level is built with a wooden post-and-beam structure, adding lightness while allowing for overhangs and discreet rainwater management. The metal roof adjusts to the neighboring parcel's geometry, sloping gently toward the square and reducing the volume's scale near the historic chapel. In contrast with the chapel's opaque façade, the library emphasizes horizontal transparency with large windows that invite residents to enter and take part in this new cultural energy.
The interior spaces are designed with clarity and restraint. The library's identity emerges from its raw materials and the legibility of its construction. At ground level, the exterior paving continues inside, leading to a central service spine marked by concrete columns. This zone includes restrooms, reception, vertical circulation, and technical rooms. Wood infill is used to enclose these spaces, incorporate built-in furniture, and route utility networks. This alternating rhythm creates a flexible, modular layout. Upstairs, timber portals align with the window frames and guide views toward the village square below. The ceiling structure, comprising pine rafters and panels, forms the underside of a calm reading area.
New wooden furniture houses all the necessary digital museum equipment and delineates the director's office, which is open to the exhibition space. A large pendant light completes the understated intervention, preserving the chapel's spatial quality while reimagining it as a contemporary cultural venue. The Third-Place Library acts as a bridge between an important heritage of the Village of Rochefort-du-Gard and a new facility resolutely open and focused on making culture available to all.
Cultural Architecture, Library, Renovation•Rochefort-du-Gard, France
Architects: NAS architecture
Area: 500 m²
Photographs:Severin Malaud
Lead Architects: Johan Laure, Guillaume Ballast
Engineering Office: INSE
Quantity Surveyor: AR.TO.TEC
Category: Cultural Architecture, Library, Renovation
Design Team: NAS architecture
City: Rochefort-du-Gard
Country: France