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The Library of Knowledge project is presented by a Pritzker Prize-winning architect.
Published on 20/11/2025 - 16:13 | Updated on 23/11/2025 - 17:19
Architect Francis Kéré during the event - Photo: Beth Santos The Library of Knowledge, designed by Francis Kéré, winner of the Pritzker Prize, will be one of Rio's main cultural facilities in the coming decades. Spanning over 40,000 square meters, the building will feature cobogós (decorative concrete blocks), pilotis (columns on stilts), and suspended gardens that lend lightness to an otherwise monumental architectural scale. The initiative is part of the Praça Onze Maravilha project, a series of actions that will transform the region and the area surrounding the Sambadrome, with investments of approximately R$ 1,75 billion. The presentation took place this Thursday (November 20th) at the Estácio de Sá samba school's headquarters in Cidade Nova. The event was attended by Mayor Eduardo Paes and Deputy Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere.
– We intend for this project to promote a space for dialogue and reflection. We want people to come together to listen to and understand the history of Brazil, the events that brought us here, and how we built ourselves as a nation. This is the core of the project. A place where everyone feels welcome, like on a rooftop. The structure is not just a building, but an extension of the favelas and Rio de Janeiro, something that transcends Copacabana, as it offers a broad view of the city. We have created a space open to all, connecting different realities, like the rooftops and the favelas, integrating them. We seek to build a space that values history, reflection, and encounter, becoming a place of learning and growth for everyone – said architect Francis Kéré during the event.
The space will be dedicated to memory, knowledge, popular expressions, and biodiversity, bringing together a theater, amphitheater, kitchens, study rooms, and exhibition areas. At the center of the building, a four-story circular tower open to natural light symbolizes the universality of knowledge. Inspired by the Tupinambá mantle and the trees of life, the tower reinforces that culture and knowledge are instruments of transformation and belonging.
The Library will integrate collections from initiatives such as the Museum of Images of the People, and will adopt cultural mediation models inspired by international experiences, such as the V&A East Museum in London. The chosen location, Terreirão do Samba, next to the monument to Zumbi dos Palmares, is in the heart of Little Africa, the territory where samba and the city's cultural identity were born. Building the Library of Knowledge there reaffirms that Rio's intellectual heritage also originates from popular culture and the streets.
The Library of Knowledge is the main legacy of Rio de Janeiro as World Book Capital and aims to underpin the process of democratizing books and bibliodiversity in the city of Rio de Janeiro. It coordinates the integration between public and community libraries, from best practices in urban planning and infrastructure to the composition of the city's collections.
Francis Kéré
During his visit to Rio, Francis Kéré explored places that revealed layers of the city: he saw the Tupinambá cloak at the National Museum of Fine Arts, walked through Roberto Burle Marx's garden, visited the Capanema Building—an icon of Brazilian modernism—and was at Pedra do Sal with Teresa Cristina and the old guard of Portela. He also met with Conceição Evaristo, an author who transformed the idea of "writing-life" into a literary and political foundation. These encounters were not merely formal: they were dialogues between forms of knowledge, listening, and presence—and they anticipate the soul of the future library.
Born in Burkina Faso, Diébédo Francis Kéré graduated from the Technical University of Berlin. He is a German citizen and has resided in the country's capital since 1985. Alongside his studies and work, he created the Kéré Foundation and later opened his own studio, Kéré Architecture. His work is internationally recognized with awards such as the 2004 Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the Gando primary school building in Burkina Faso, the gold medal at the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture, and the Pritzker Prize, considered the highest award in world architecture, in 2022.
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