Architects:Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO

Area:1927m²

Year:2023

Photographs:Hadley Fruits for Exhibit Columbus

Category:Community

City:Columbus

Country:United States

Text description provided by the architects. As part of the 2023 J. Irwin and Xenia S. Miller Prize, awarded by the Landmark Columbus Foundation, Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO was invited to create an installation on the public plaza of the library of the city of Columbus, Indiana. Designed by I.M. Pei in 1969, this building is one of the city's most recognizable public spaces, serving as a civic gathering spot, hosting public events, and a symbol of the city's identity.

How can we allow for the possibility of public space to become a platform for collective and social exchange, where everyone can perform their own idea of community? That is the question that guided our intervention at the Library Plaza, following Exhibit Columbus 2023's curatorial theme "Public by Design" we called for the use of the space to be "Designed by the Public".

The project was conceived as a participatory process, with the community's ideas and intentions informing the entire design process. A broad range of public activities were introduced into all design stages, including workshops with community members, design tools for children, and collaboration with the library team to enhance their outstanding public program. Through these activities, the program and intervention became the result of community involvement.

The installation consists of three blue volumes that vividly contrast with the library's historic red brick façade. Each volume corresponds to the scale of the existing building, aiming to provide the plaza with a more human scale and make it a comfortable space for all users. A rectangular volume mimics the entrance, reducing its scale to a door; a triangular volume aligns with the library's windows and offers a staircase to bring people to the height of the façade openings, while a circular table-like structure suggests a forum on the entrance staircase of the library.

These structures, designed as shelves, provide space for various everyday objects. Initially, approximately 180 items were installed, including tables, chairs, umbrellas, blankets, bicycles, skateboards, gardening tools, charcoal grills, jump ropes, yoga mats, lamps, and picture frames, among others. People were encouraged to freely use these items in the public plaza without restrictions or conditions and were also invited to bring new objects, contributing to the ongoing evolution of the installation and creating a public "library of things."

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