An Abandoned Walmart Is Transformed Into the Largest Library in The United States
As a possible and symbolic message, an architectural firm converted an abandoned Walmart into the largest and best equipped library in the United States.
Walmart, a company born and developed in the U.S.A, is the emblematic example of the logic of “the market for the market”, which is usually associated with an overflowing expansion ––also destructive of millions of local businesses around the world.
Fortunately, despite the imperative consumerism of our times, cultural consumerism still survives, which requires time and space. Its neurological demands such as attention and imagination, the amount of sensibility it requires, make this experience a truly enriching action. The consumption of literature is antagonistic with that of immediateness: like that of spectacles, industrially produce food and fashion, to name a few.
In this context, the fact that the architectural firm Scherer & Rockcastle will transform an abandoned Walmart for The 2012 Library Interior Design Awards into the greatest library in the United States, which conveys a symbolic and unique message. As if this was about an important retaliation, thus culture is cemented over the ruins of Walmart, “The King” of immediate consumerism.
Located in McAllen, Texas, this library measures 123 square metres, the equivalent of two and half football fields. The giant and bibliophile space, whose name is the McAllen Public Library, features six computer labs for teenagers, 14 study rooms, 64 general computer labs, an auditorium, an art gallery, a book store and a coffee shop, among other amenities.
Adapting abandoned urban spaces has been a growing trend in the last couple of decades, especially in the form of cultural spaces. Advantageously using buildings which were “discarded”, and whose initial purpose was that of immediate consumption, is in itself a manifesto of sorts: within a healthy society, the largest spaces should be used to expand people’s mental horizons.
Related Articles
Pictorial spiritism (a woman's drawings guided by a spirit)
There are numerous examples in the history of self-taught artists which suggest an interrogation of that which we take for granted within the universe of art. Such was the case with figures like
Astounding fairytale illustrations from Japan
Fairy tales tribal stories— are more than childish tales. Such fictions, the characters of which inhabit our earliest memories, aren’t just literary works with an aesthetic and pleasant purpose. They
A cinematic poem and an ode to water: its rhythms, shapes and textures
Here lies One Whose Name was writ in Water. - John Keats Without water the equation of life, at least life as we know it, would be impossible. A growing hypothesis holds that water, including the
Watch beauty unfold through science in this "ode to a flower" (video)
The study of the microscopic is one of the richest, most aesthetic methods of understanding the world. Lucky is the scientist who, upon seeing something beautiful, is able to see all of the tiny
To invent those we love or to see them as they are? Love in two of the movies' favorite scenes
So much has been said already, of “love” that it’s difficult to add anything, much less something new. It’s possible, though, perhaps because even if you try to pass through the sieve of all our
This app allows you to find and preserve ancient typographies
Most people, even those who are far removed from the world of design, are familiar with some type of typography and its ability to transform any text, help out dyslexics or stretch an eight page paper
The secrets of the mind-body connection
For decades medical research has recognized the existence of the placebo effect — in which the assumption that a medication will help produces actual physical improvements. In addition to this, a
The sea as infinite laboratory
Much of our thinking on the shape of the world and the universe derives from the way scientists and artists have approached these topics over time. Our fascination with the mysteries of the
Sharing and collaborating - natural movements of the creative being
We might sometimes think that artistic or creative activity is, in essence, individualistic. The Genesis of Judeo-Christian tradition portrays a God whose decision to create the world is as vehement
John Malkovich becomes David Lynch (and other characters)
John Malkovich and David Lynch are, respectively, the actor and film director who’ve implicitly or explicitly addressed the issues of identity and its porous barriers through numerous projects. Now