Berlin-based Kéré Architecture has revealed the design for the Biblioteca dos Saberes, a new public library in Rio de Janeiro that will mark the studio's first built project in South America. The striking building features perforated brick facades and a distinctive illuminated cylinder that rises through its center, creating a lamp-like beacon in the city's Cidade Nova neighborhood.
The library will be strategically positioned across from architect Oscar Niemeyer's iconic Sambódromo parade ground, where Rio's famous Carnival takes place annually. This location holds special significance as the building will be dedicated to celebrating indigenous and Afro-Brazilian heritage, as well as samba dance, which originated in Brazil's northeast region. The site itself has historical importance, as it sits on the former location of a samba school, creating a direct connection between the building's purpose and its cultural context.
Architect Diébédo Francis Kéré described the project as "a celebration of the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro," explaining that "this library grows from the city's history and wisdom, from samba that moves the body to the poetry that moves the heart." For Kéré Architecture, this represents their second library project, following the Gando Primary School Library in founder Kéré's hometown of Gando, Burkina Faso.
The three-story structure features an innovative design consisting of curved, flat planes wrapped in a perforated, layered facade and covered with outdoor terraces. The central cylinder, inspired by trees in the nearby Tijuca Forest, serves as both a functional and symbolic element, rising through the building's core. The interior layout follows a carefully planned progression from "quiet to lively" programming, accommodating various activities from peaceful reading to dynamic cultural events.
Inside, the library will house reading rooms, library stacks, workshops, exhibition spaces, an auditorium, and a cafe, providing comprehensive cultural and educational facilities for the community. The building also incorporates elevated curved pathways, one of which creates a dramatic bridge across the street to a monument dedicated to Zumbi dos Palmares, an anti-slavery resistance leader.
The project's location near Rio's Little Africa neighborhood reflects the city's ongoing efforts to acknowledge and commemorate its complex history with slavery. This cultural reckoning gained momentum when a nearby wharf, once the largest port for enslaved Africans arriving in South America, was converted into a UNESCO World Heritage site after being uncovered during preparations for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The design reveal was strategically timed to coincide with Brazil's Black Consciousness Day, a recently established national public holiday dedicated to celebrating and reflecting on Afro-Brazilian culture and history. This timing underscores the library's mission to serve as a center for cultural education and community engagement.
The Biblioteca dos Saberes is part of broader revitalization efforts in Rio's downtown area, which include the removal of elevated freeways and other urban renewal projects. The library will join other notable architectural landmarks in the vicinity, including Santiago Calatrava's Museum of Tomorrow. Rio's architectural significance was further recognized in 2020 when the city was named the first World Capital of Architecture, highlighting its commitment to innovative design and urban development.
