La Quintana, also known as the Parque Biblioteca Tomás Carrasquilla (Tomás Carasquilla Library Park), is a culturally significant library park in Medellin,

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

. The library was designed by

Ricardo La Rotta Caballero Ricardo La Rotta Caballero is an architect in Bogotá, Colombia and the principal at the La Rotta Arquitectos firm. His work includes La Quintana Library, a library park named after Tomás Carrasquilla in Medellín, Colombia. Along with Architec ...

and named after Colombian writer

Tomás Carrasquilla Tomás Carrasquilla Naranjo (1858 – 1940) was a Colombian writer who lived in the Antioquia region. He dedicated himself to very simple jobs: tailor, secretary of a judge, storekeeper in a mine, and worker at the Ministry of Public ...

.La Quintana Library Park
Medellin.travel (City of the Year) The building is 14,800 square feet and includes reading rooms, ''ludotecas'' (educational play spaces for children), computers with internet, and terraced architecture with views overlooking Medellin. It is located in the Aures neighborhood in the northwestern quarter of the city.

History

It opened in 2007 and was one of five libraries constructed as part of cultural redevelopment efforts in the city targeted to serve underprivileged communities.Library parks as urban catalysts
February 21, 2010 Favel Issues

Design

The library was purposefully located on the basin of La Quintana creek in order to create a central cultural zone that united the surrounding neighborhoods that were naturally separated by La Quintana. The park space was designed as a "public road" that connects with the roads to the different neighborhoods in the area. The library design consists of two giant blocks. The lower block houses the book collection and computer lab in an enclosed space. The upper block in an open-air public space for talking and houses a cafeteria.

References

{{Library park Libraries in Colombia Buildings and structures in Medellín Culture in Medellín Libraries established in 2007 2007 establishments in Colombia

History

Design

See also

References