In September 2007, the Spanish Ministry of Culture called an international competition for the design and construction of a public library in the city of Ceuta. The project’s complexity resided in two perpendicular aspects: the floor plan had to keep in mind the Hispanic-Muslim archaeological remains from the 14th century present on the site, while in section it had to address the steep topography of the plot assigned. The proposal devised by the Madrid-based architects Paredes & Pedrosa won the competition with a scheme that on the one hand protects the archaeological site by making it part of the interior spaces and transforms it into an interpretation center while, on the other hand, it generates entrances at different levels making access easier to the different programs the library offers – media library, research area, historical archive, multipurpose hall, administration offices and differentiated spaces for adults and for children – reaching a gross built area of 6,318 square meters...[+]