Located in the Colombian department of Casanare, the new Public Library of Villanueva has been raised with gabion stone walls put together with boulders from the region. With a very tight budget, the construction of the building has been possible thanks to the use of modular containers that are attached to one another, built with stones of different sizes retained with a wire mesh of galvanized steel, reinforced along its edges. The stones have been placed one by one and by hand to obtain an artisanal finish that, furthermore, allows the entry of light through the gaps and natural ventilation.

The enclosure has been conceived as a piece of fabric that filters air in order to cool the interior without needing additional artificial ventilation systems. The extraction of hot air is carried out horizontally, with cross ventilation through the circulation spaces, and vertically, by convection through grilles placed on the roof. The search for bioclimatic solutions appropriate to the tropical climate, the modulation of the loadbearing sturcture, the rationality of the distribution of spaces and the use of recycled materials all point at a firm commitment with sustainability...[+]