Biblioteca EPM & Parque de las Luces

The Biblioteca EPM was built as a recovery project in 2005 to rebuild the highly deteriorated Plaza de Cisneros.

While the architecture is interesting, with a pond and large wooden terrace, as well as modern furniture and clean lines, for me the most exciting feature is the silence.

Almost every office, store, and apartment I have been in has paper-thin walls, and you can hear the ants walking across the street.  But, once you step into this glass-windowed library, it’s as if you’re entering a vacuum.  Biblioteca EPM is a safe haven, inside a very central part of the city.

Furthermore, the plaza outside of the library used to be a stomping ground for the homeless.  However, the government decided to make it a safe and clean place for all paisas to come hang out, and thereby afford easier access to the facilities of a big library.

They took out the grass (which was too comfortable for sleeping), and added cops and weird, yet interesting vertical lights in what is now known as Parque de las Luces.

While it may have been a better idea to add trees to bring more life into this part of the city, Parque de las Luces does have an inspiring feel to it when you walk amongst all of those lamp posts, looking up through them in a futuristic-type of way.

Biblioteca EPM

• A focus on science, industry, environment and technology
• Open to the public for entry without needing a library card or a pat down (memories of Brazil)
• An online card catalogue
• Various classes and courses for all ages
• Cinemateque
• 2 auditoriums to reserve
• Cultural and academic events
• Internet, audio and video room
• Study balcony and individual study spaces
• Guided tours