Architect Francis Kéré has unveiled his first South American project: Biblioteca dos Saberes, or “The House of Wisdom,” a 40,000-square-meter public library set in Rio de Janeiro’s Cidade Nova district. Commissioned by City Hall and revealed on Brazil’s Black Consciousness Day, the design blends social purpose with local context, drawing inspiration from Brazil’s native trees and communal gathering traditions in Kéré’s hometown of Gando, Burkina Faso. Spanning three levels, the library features shaded façades, open courtyards, reading rooms, an auditorium, and a rooftop garden, all conceived as shared civic spaces. Linked by a pedestrian bridge to a monument honoring Zumbi dos Palmares, the anti-slavery leader, the project reimagines the Atlantic Ocean as a river linking African and Brazilian heritage.
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