Barcelona's Gabriel García Márquez library among best of world in 2022

Barcelona's Gabriel García Márquez library is one of the best in the world among those built in 2022.

This is according to the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), who has nominated the institution in the Sant Martí district of the Catalan capital in their best public library of the world award.

On August 21, IFLA will announce the winner in Rotterdam, with the three other contenders being the Public Library Janez Vajkard Valvasor Krškov (Slovenia), the City of Parramatta Library (Australia) and the Shanghai Library East (China).

Gabriel García Márquez library specializes in Latin American literature and bears the name of the Nobel Prize winner for Literature and author of 'Cien años de soledad', or 'One hundred years of solitude.'

Talking to the press on Friday, the institution's director, Neus Castellano, said they are "happily overwhelmed" by all the attention – indeed, the building already has already won the 2022 City of Barcelona Award for Architecture.

"This is recognizing the involvement and effort of all the team," she said. "The neighbors are very proud and this makes us happy."

The nomination has been achieved thanks to the good evaluation of several points, including the interaction with the environment and local culture, the architectural quality of the building, the flexibility of its spaces and services, sustainability, and the commitment to learning and social connection.

Six-storey green building

Designed as a local cultural facility for the residents of the district, the library has 4,000 m² spread over six floors with an exposed wooden structure. It incorporates sustainable strategies that have granted it a Gold LEED, which recognizes green buildings.

Between June 2022 and May 2023, it was visited by 277,578 people, with an average of 947 visits per day. It has hosted 75 activities with a total attendance of almost four thousand people, and has registered 128,695 documents on loan.

Filling the Sink podcast on libraries

Check out our Filling the Sink podcast published in April this year on beautiful libraries in Catalonia and the hidden gems in the collections within.