Programme :
Construction of the new Béziers media library, comprising: library, multimedia space, auditorium, exhibition hall, patio, and brasserie.

Description :
The media library project gives the city a cultural and interactive connection open to all, a building that unifies the new urban space, the large Place du 14 Juillet square within the Espace Duguesclin; a high-performance and HEQ (High Environmental Quality) contemporary building.
The project focuses on the dominance of the former Duguesclin barracks and, by its restrained volume, anchors the building to the Place du 14 Juillet.
Its simple form was adapted to remain in proportion to the different elements of the site. It is made up of three stone and glass monoliths, of four levels for the central section, and three levels for the two lateral sections. The main facade, by virtue of its symmetrical composition and the elevation of the central section of the building, indicates without excess the almost monumental status that such a building should impose, given the largesse the Place du 14 Juillet.
The site coverage of the building (80 metres by 36 metres) allowed the minimum distance from the university restaurant to the south to be maintained and to develop a forecourt on the Avenue Jean Moulin side to the north. The volume of the building is suitable for the required circulation within a media library. The building is organised around an inner hollow: the patio, a response to the external, public space of the square.
The main entrance to the media library is located on the Place du 14 Juillet. Open to view from the exterior, the full-height glazed lower ground floor invites the public to enter the lobby and, from the square, offers a view into the interior of the building and the planted patio.
The upper entrance from Avenue Jean Moulin enables access to facilities such as the brasserie, auditorium and exhibition hall. This entrance is laid out around a small square, hard-landscaped and structured by a pond, low wall, and staircase, which leads to the end of the esplanade.
The upper square connects the facility to the city.