Idea Store No 5
The aim of this diploma project was to investigate the new building typology mediatheques and to design a so-called Idea Store for London. In the East London borough Tower Hamlets various population groups live densely together, with a considerable part of the population suffering from high unemployment rates and low education. To tackle these problems the borough had developed a new library concept in 1999: Idea Stores are local and low-threshold libraries with additional communal functions. But what characterizes Idea Stores in comparison to new hybrid libraries such as Sendai Mediatheque in Japan? How are mediatheques and Idea Stores programmed? And which building types have emerged? The questions have been explored using six case studies: Idea Store Crisp St (UK), Idea Store Whitechapel (UK), Peckham Library (UK), Médiathèque Vénissieux (FR), Sumida Culture Factory (JP) and Sendai Mediatheque (JP). Based on this investigation a new mediatheque has been designed: Idea Store No 5.
