Kéré Architecture has released the design for the Biblioteca dos Saberes, a 43,000-square-foot public library and cultural center planned for Rio de Janeiro’s Cidade Nova neighborhood. Commissioned by the Prefeitura do Rio de Janeiro, the project was announced at the samba school GRES Estácio de Sá, where architect Francis Kéré was named an honorary resident of the city by Mayor Eduardo Paes and Deputy Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere. The library is intended to serve both as a new civic anchor and as a year-round cultural facility in an area that currently sees most of its activity during annual Carnival festivities.
The site is located near Valongo Wharf and Little Africa, two landmarks central to Brazil’s Afro-Brazilian history. The project forms part of Praça Onze Maravilha, a municipal initiative aimed at reinvigorating the district once home to Brazil’s first samba school. According to the city, the new library is meant to improve walkability and public access while strengthening cultural programming in the neighborhood.
A cylindrical tower described by Kéré as a “tree of knowledge” will stand at the center of the complex. Renderings depict the volume as a perforated, light-emitting structure referencing the native trees of Rio’s Tijuca Forest and the community gathering trees of Kéré’s hometown in Burkina Faso. The tower is planned to organize the library’s three levels. Its textured facade is designed to filter daylight and reduce heat gain.
Around this central element, the building is arranged as a 3-story composition of terraces, courtyards, rooftop gardens, and open-air platforms. Renderings show an earth-toned structure with rhythmic perforations that modulate tropical light. Landscaped steps form an outdoor amphitheater shaded by a large canopy, which is expected to host performances, screenings, and community events.
The design draws on several layers of local history, including Indigenous knowledge systems, Afro-Brazilian oral traditions, Rio’s musical heritage, and the area’s ties to the transatlantic slave trade. The project references the neighborhood’s long association with Little Africa and the early samba schools of Praça Onze. Elements reminiscent of Roberto Burle Marx’s planting strategies and Oscar Niemeyer’s curved forms appear in the landscape and massing, integrated with Kéré’s focus on shade, craft, and climate-responsive construction.
As the city moves to expand its cultural infrastructure, the Biblioteca dos Saberes is planned as a new public resource for the surrounding community. Kéré Architecture will continue working with the City of Rio de Janeiro as the project proceeds to subsequent stages.
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