The “Rosalía de Castro” library in Vilagarcía de Arousa

For several years, the Municipal Council of Vilagarcía had recognised that the town needed a new library for its population of almost 38,000 inhabitants.  
The best place to create this space was identified in August 2019 as the site of the Liceo Casino. This recreational club was purchased by the municipality and a substantial financial contribution was provided for its renovation by the Pontevedra Provincial Authorities. 

The project took a long time to complete as it was interrupted between 2020 and 2021 by the pandemic. But the result, a brand-new home for 44,000 books and 38,000 readers, was worth the wait. 
It is a space where natural light, controlled acoustics and functionality create an atmosphere of calm and intimate comfort. 

The designer, Alberto Redondo, of RVR Arquitectos, had an area of 1,300 square metres to work with, and he made the most of it.  
The reading room is, of course, the heart of the structure. It is housed in the Casino’s former assembly hall where the importance of the upper windows has been emphasized by making them part of a single lofty space flooded with natural light. Despite its size, no noise disturbs this area, thanks to a meticulous acoustic design that generates the kind of hushed mood required for a centre dedicated to reading and study. The building is lit by only a few types of luminaire. Different versions of Isola, Easy and Palco are used with a colour temperature of 4000 K to match the soft tones chosen for the furnishings.  

In the reading room, Isola pendant luminaires light the central areas with UGR<19 optics to ensure the best possible visual comfort. Whereas Easy pendant luminaires, also with UGR<19 optics, have been installed around the perimeter of the room, to accompany the large windows and furnishings that are designed to make readers comfortable. This creates a soft, diffuse lighting effect with no shadows on the tables.  

In the children's reading room that features round tables, surface-mounted Isola and Easy luminaires have been used. To illuminate the spaces near the windows where sofas have been placed, Palco projectors have been installed with spot optics to focus the light.  

Naturally, a huge amount of space has been left for the multitude of shelves on which most of the 43,563 books and 4,535 audiovisual items that make up the library's collection are kept. The shelves themselves are used to divide the space, so carefully aimed base-mounted Palco projectors are used to vertically light the volumes on them. The aisles between the shelves, on the other hand, are lit from above by ceiling-mounted Easy luminaires, located in the centre of these walkways. Another innovative element in the project is a Master Pro Evo KNX light management system that controls all the luminaires installed. There are also twilight and motion sensors in the building that ensure the luminaires are only switched on when they are really needed.