Library Of The French Lycée / Alberto Campo Baeza

Architects: Alberto Campo Baeza
Area: 1,750 m²
Year: 2025
Photography: Javier Callejas Sevilla
Lead Architects: Alberto Campo Baeza
Architects Team: Alejandro Cervilla García, Ignacio Aguirre López, Alfonso Guajardo-Fajardo Cruz, Tommaso Campioti, María Pérez de Camino, Elena Jiménez Sánchez, Joan Suñé Almenar, Sara Fernández de Trucios, Juanjo Sánchez Rivas, Elena Pérez Espigares, Rodrigo González Rivero
Consultant: Laps Architecture (Fabienne Louyot)
Structural Engineering: Andrés Rubio Morán
Engineering: Úrculo Ingenieros
Quantity Surveyor: Francisco Melchor Gallego, Juan Carlos Cano
City: Madrid
Country: Spain

The Library of the French Lycée in Madrid, designed by Spanish architect Alberto Campo Baeza, is the focal point of an ambitious campus extension following an international competition held in 2018. The project is defined by a disciplined interplay of form, material, and light, expressed through a box measuring 34 by 15 by 12 meters. The exterior is composed of exposed concrete, lending the building a sense of gravity and permanence, while the interior is rendered in radiant white to maximize the reflection of natural light. A fully glazed north façade and a corner capped with a trihedral glass roof infuse the interior with a soft, consistent luminosity. The double-height reading hall serves as the project’s spatial heart, surrounded by areas that overlook it and reinforce a sense of openness. The design stands as a testament to Campo Baeza’s pursuit of purity, proportion, and timeless simplicity in architecture.

I tried to materialize the strength of this bank. And I did it, and I got it.
Interview with Alberto Campo Baeza of Estudio Arquitectura Campo Baeza

Library of the french lycée / alberto campo baeza

Conceived as the central element of the French Lycée’s new expansion in Madrid, the library represents a synthesis of Campo Baeza’s architectural principles, distilled into a form that is at once simple and profound. The project reimagines the traditional library not merely as a container of books but as a vessel of light, where the act of reading becomes inseparable from the experience of space. By reducing the design to its most essential components—light, proportion, and material—the architect achieves a composition that speaks to both utility and transcendence. The project aligns closely with Baeza’s long-standing interest in creating architecture that conveys stillness and clarity without sacrificing human warmth.

Externally, the building presents itself as a compact and perfectly proportioned concrete volume, defined by restraint and precision. Its surfaces, smooth and pale, reflect the Mediterranean light in subtle ways, giving the library an almost sculptural presence within the school grounds. The use of exposed concrete is both aesthetic and structural, emphasizing durability and honesty of material. This exterior expression contrasts sharply with the interior, which is characterized by its whiteness and luminosity—a duality that forms the basis of the architectural narrative. The simplicity of the envelope belies the complexity of the spatial relationships within, where every element contributes to the modulation of light and the orchestration of experience.

The north façade, entirely glazed from floor to ceiling, transforms the building into a luminous chamber open to the landscape. The glazing continues around both corners, creating a sense of transparency that dissolves the boundary between interior and exterior. In one corner, the roof itself becomes glass, forming a striking trihedron that channels daylight into the uppermost reaches of the reading hall. This detail encapsulates the essence of Campo Baeza’s architecture—an architecture in which light is not an accessory but the primary construction material. The play of reflections and shadows within the interior varies throughout the day, ensuring that the building remains dynamic and alive, even within its geometric discipline.

At the center of the composition lies the double-height reading hall, which serves as the spatial and symbolic core of the building. This generous volume, visible from all surrounding areas, fosters a sense of unity and shared engagement. The arrangement allows students to feel part of a collective environment while maintaining the quiet necessary for concentration. The circulation and secondary rooms are organized around this central void, reinforcing the clarity of the plan and the fluidity of spatial relationships. The sense of lightness within the reading hall contrasts with the massiveness of the concrete shell, creating a delicate balance between enclosure and openness.

As with many of Campo Baeza’s works, the library’s architectural power lies in its ability to evoke emotion through rational means. The structure is devoid of ornamentation, relying instead on proportion and light to define its character. Every surface, joint, and edge contributes to the building’s harmony, from the rhythm of the concrete panels to the immaculate whiteness of the interior walls. This purity is not an end in itself but a means to elevate the everyday experience of learning and reflection. The building thus becomes a contemplative environment that encourages thought, silence, and awareness of one’s surroundings.

The Library of the French Lycée in Madrid stands as a serene and enduring contribution to the city’s architectural landscape. Its disciplined geometry and careful orchestration of light reflect Campo Baeza’s unwavering commitment to architecture as an art of clarity and permanence. Through a masterful balance of weight and illumination, solidity and transparency, the project transforms a utilitarian program into an inspiring spatial experience. More than a school building, it becomes an embodiment of the architect’s philosophy: that true beauty in architecture arises from precision, restraint, and the luminous harmony between matter and light.