4Plius
A. and M. Miškinis Public Library in Utena. Category: public building
Design: 2007
Construction: 2008–2009
Address: Maironio g. 12, Utena
Architects: Donaldas Trainauskas, Darius Baliukevičius, Virginija Bakšienė
The firm headed by the architect Donaldas Trainauskas (born 1972) has been nominated and recognised on more than one occasion at architectural exhibitions and competitions, both at in Lithuania and abroad. The most notable awards have been the Europe 40 Under 40 prize and a nomination for the Mies van der Rohe Award in 2009. The architects carry out conceptually strong ideas and express them in terse laconic forms.
The space of the A. and M. Miškinis Public Library building in Utena alludes to three books stacked one upon the other, while the rhythm of the horizontal louvers reflects their pages. The sculpture-like space is sensitively integrated into the park and the neighbourhood of multiple-unit residential buildings. It has become an integral part of the local identity. The building fulfils its social mission perfectly through its functionality and forceful imagery – it brings together the local community. The interior’s character is defined by a clear constructional logic and raw materials: concrete, glass, wood, and metal, animated by brightly coloured information blocks. The open and transparent interior spaces are connected by an atrium, which is encircled by massive ramps. The A. and M. Miškinis Public Library in Utena is a building where the architects have combined a creative symbolic idea, rational functional solutions, and a modern architectural character.