Kulturbaum is the name given to the headquarters of the Nuova Biblioteca Civica (new library) in the center of the city of Bressanone, in northern Italy. The project, winner in an international competition, wishes to address its context respectfully and integrates the adjacent buildings, on which it rests, creating connecting footbridges at the intersections between the different volumes. The design is the result of a detailed study of natural lighting. Daylight allows to create well-lit reading rooms but is avoided in those storage places where the direct impact of sunrays may damage the paper in books. The other determining element of the design process is the desire to build flexible and free-flowing spaces, made possible thanks to a double shell that contains all kinds of services...  [+]