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St Kilda Library

History

The history of the St Kilda Library dates back to 1860, when the St Kilda Council received a community request to fund a free public library to be built coinciding with a building for the Mechanics’ Institute [2]. This plan did not come to fruition and instead by 1863 a book collection was housed in the old Town Hall located at the junction of Barkly and Acland Streets in St Kilda[2] and then in 1910 in the current Town Hall in Carlisle Street. The library did not survive and was forced to close within the year. Then in 1953, the proposal for the construction of a free public library was once again voiced in community circles to no avail. In 1967, the proposition found its way into political debate which resulted in a council commitment of an insufficient $50,000 contribution towards the building. Eventually there was an agreement upon a tender of $417 000 to build Enrico Taglietti’s design in 1971 at 150 Carlisle Street which has become a local landmark [2]. The building was officially opened in May 1973 by the Victorian Governor.

Between 1992 and 1994, an extension was added by Melbourne architecture firm Ashton Raggatt McDougall (ARM) which provided a new entrance wing as well as seeking to redefine the public plaza and façade of the library facing onto Carlisle Street [4].

Significance

Taglietti’s design is described by architect and author Richard Peterson as having an “unconstrained” and “stylised” character that is “comfortably settled” in its context [2]. In 2007, Taglietti who was born in Milan, was awarded the prestigious Gold Medal by The Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA). The jury cited his “Australian architectural vision as seen through Italian eyes” making him “an outstanding architect of national significance” [3].

Physical description and function

Taglietti’s building housed the library, a meeting room and additional community facilities. ARM’s extension provided what the firm describe as an “upgrade of existing facilities, providing additional book stacks, main desk, entry and public face” [5]. Wedged between the busy public Carlisle Street to the South and the residential Duke Street in the North the building takes up nearly 50 square metres [2]. The ground floor of the library is raised above street level one metre high and is accessed via a ramp through the entry wing of the ARM extension. The building also contains parking and a plant room underground, with entry via Duke Street [1].

The library is constructed from a minimal selection of materials-concrete construction with timber detailing. The concrete is left in an exposed unfinished state, “either bush-hammered or revealing the lines of its timber board formwork” [1]. “Untreated softwood” timber boards[1] are used for the roof, eaves, ceiling, window frames and an internal “pyramidal roof” [1]. Taglietti’s design makes use of horizontal planes in the thick continuous ground slab and cantilevered roof above, which extend out beyond the inclined walls. Taglietti has employed light, scale and screens to differentiate between areas of varying program in library [1]. This is evident in the children’s section where the bookshelves are reduced versions of those throughout the library and colourful lights are hung about 1.8 metres above the floor. The building is widely considered to be of Brutalist design. Richard Peterson identifies characteristics of the building pertaining to this style as its use of unfinished timber and concrete revealing the lines of its formwork as well as the overemphasis of particular components of the building, specifically in the “deep fascias and spandrels” [2]. ARM describe their extension as the image of a “bluestone clad book” [5] invoking the role of books in libraries through the symbolism of its curving bluestone form. The inclusion of an s-profiled window is the architects’ reference to the emergence of electronic technology in the place of the hard copy book with its screen-like appearance [5].

Key influences and design approach

Similarities are noted between the Brutalist architectural style of the St Kilda library and the work of architect Le Corbusier, particularly in the expression of unfinished concrete and “oversized elements” [2]. Peterson draws further links to architect Carlo Scarpa who shares Taglietti’s Italian tradition and whose influences can be seen in “the use of natural materials and the layered platforms, which stratify the meeting of the building and its site” [2].

The RAIA jury panel cited the use of “long, horizontal flat roofs and balconies, sloping fascias and balustrades, and battered walls” [3] as overriding motifs in Taglietti’s work. ARM stated their intention with the extension to achieve “the development of a civic space linking the Town Hall and its strong 19th Century façade with the Taglietti library across the street.” [4]

Awards

Taglietti was awarded the 2007 Gold Medal by The Royal Australian Institute of Architects and the jury cites St Kilda Library in its list of Taglietti’s “Notable public buildings” [3]. Ashton Raggatt McDougall received two awards for their extension from The Royal Australian Institute of Architects in 1995. They were a Commendation for Institutional Alterations and Extensions and a Commendation for Interior Architecture.