Yvonne Seale

In theory, putting a minimalist concrete and steel shelving system into a Baroque library should be jarring—but I think this works surprisingly well? Maybe it's the light & the use of white space.

Želiv Abbey is a #Premonstratensian community founded in the 12th c.

https://www.yatzer.com/library-monastery-zeliv-monastery-sepka-architects

A Concrete & Steel Shelving System Breathes New Life in the Library of a Historic Monastery in the Czech Republic

Commissioned to renovate the disused library in a Premonstratensian monastery ...

Yatzer
Apr 13, 2024 at 1:08amWeb
Show threadNiels🛰️Apr 13, 2024
@yvonne I think you're right. The baroque elements contrast with and are elevated by the white walls and ceiling. Similarly, the old books contrast with and are elevated by the simple concrete.
Show threadBill, organizer of stuffApr 13, 2024
@yvonne It's gorgeous. More a monument than utility.
Show threadBodlingApr 13, 2024
@yvonne The leather and vellum bindings make it hard to focus on the metal shelves
Show threadIokApr 13, 2024
@yvonne if i enter here, i will become the library ermit🤩
Show threadDaniel BlakeApr 14, 2024
@yvonne Both concrete & steel date back millenia, so it’s not anachronistic.
Style is the decider, & as you say, they seem to have got it right here.
Show threadFlorent PalluaultApr 14, 2024
@yvonne
@overholt
Architectural style apart, are the leather-bound books directly in contact with the abrasive concrete separations??
Show threadJessamynApr 15, 2024
@leflaneur19 @yvonne @overholt Super curious about this part too.
Show threadErica the faeMay 6, 2024
@yvonne I think it only works because of the books - if there were modern books on the shelves, with their vastly varying sizes and bold colours, it would have looked so very different, and the modern shelving would have stood out more. Like this, the old books form a cohesive unit that has a stronger visual pull than the shelving.