“Music is the universal language of Mankind” 

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

Humans were able to identify music “associated with behaviors such as infant care (lullabies), healing, dance, love, mourning, warfare, processions, ritual” from society to society- no matter how foreign or remote.

 

A new public music library of medium-size and complexity is designed in El Cabanyal, Valencia. The site was an abandoned place and currently under a regional gentrification.  This region suffers from the immigration problems associated with high criminal rates, mainly resulted from communication issue, religious difference and extremely unbalanced living conditions. The project aims to create a spiritual healing place for public to “plug in”  the power of music to transcend, heal or connect people to their higher power throughout most religions and cultures. Music is the ‘universal language of spiritual healing”a common language for social interaction. This public library is the new regional landmark for local community to study, practice music and collectively organise cultural events. 

 

The spatial configuration of this music library is based on a journey of different autonomy levels.  Outside the library, the site is planned with two civic plaza in which citizens can collectively (self-) organise musical and other cultural events so that habitants can choose to define part of their lives autonomously and contribute to construct a community of equals. Inside the library, the architectural programmes offer public both informal and formal space, including event space, ground floor cafe , instrument leasing store, concert hall, different-sized practice space, silent library and audio recording space.