Bioteka: The Green Public Library in Lublin, Poland

Bioteka, an extraordinary green library, has opened in a Polish city named Lublin, which, apart from borrowing books, will also organize exhibitions and conduct environmental education on a large scale.

From January 11th 2021, a new branch of the Municipal Public Library, Bioteka, has opened. Bioteka is located at Racławickie avenue, Lublin, Poland. The library was created at the site of a former restaurant, Karczma Słupska, which closed in 2008. So far, due to the pandemic, the city's residents can "only" use its rich collections - 18,000. printed books, 9 thousand. audiobooks, 7 thousand. movies and music albums. When the restrictions are lifted, it will also be able to become a meeting point for cultural and educational events.

Bioteka stands out with its unusual interior by architect Grzegorz Kłoda from GK-Atelier. According to the architect, the inspiration for Bioteka was the revitalization of the neighboring Saski Garden. "We decided that the interiors of the newly designed library would be its natural continuation. That's why we used a lot of wood, concrete, and lots of greenery inside" he said. Grzegorz Kłoda later emphasized that making the library functional, modern, and providing the possibility of various use of space was the main purpose of designing Bioteka.

Now, follow us to the mini-tour of Bioteka!

When we cross the door to this place, we start our walk from a small art gallery. It is a space prepared for the presentation of temporary exhibitions. The walls are covered with moss and plaster imitating architectural concrete in various shades of gray. There are rectangular forms of flower pots, against which the exhibited works will be presented. You may also find the illuminated cubes on the floor, which can serve as both pedestals and seats.

The ceiling in the entire library has an industrial character with visible technical infrastructure. For uniformity, all devices, cables, pipes, etc. are painted on a black mat, which highlights the "green islands" scattered throughout the library.

From the gallery, we are heading to the chillout zone, where we have a huge couch, on which we can read the books in peace. Against the background of a moss wall, there is a very inconspicuous "bookcase" for plants. This place is unique because it will be used to promote "plant swapping", it shares a similar idea to "bookcrossing", but in this case, you can exchange plants!

In the main hall, which is further away, there is a space that allows the organization of various meetings and events. Unusual furniture, a combination of a bed and a bookcase decorated with a garland or an armchair that deserves attention. Next to it, there is a room for children with soft carpeting and animal-shaped poufs. A projector is suspended among the greenery, which will enable multimedia activities for children. Next to the room for children, there is an audiobook zone and seats in recesses enabling them to be heard.

There is also a room intended for board games, small group activities, or bibliotherapy. It is soundproofed with colorful panels and is located in a relatively secluded place, which guarantees peace for the activities conducted there.

The last room is a multimedia room with computer stations adapted for people with disabilities. The entire library is barrier-free for people in wheelchairs.

It is also important that "green" will not be present in Bioteka only in the form of interior design. When the restrictions are lifted, there will be a large-scale pro-environmental education for users of all ages. Various green ideas will also be promoted there, such as the aforementioned "plant swapping".

BIOTEKA
Aleje Racławickie 22
Tel. 81 710-38-73
Opening hours:
Monday - Friday 9.00 - 19.00

Due to the epidemic situation, the branch operates under sanitary precautions.

Find out more about Bioteka on Facebook fb.com/biotekaLublin

Source: Noizz.pl