STOCKHOLM CITY LIBRARY COMPETITION
Stockholm, Sweden
The brief called for a 230,000 sq. ft. addition to the world renowned Asplund library in the center of Stockholm. The Asplund library was to be fully integrated into the new complex which also needed to satisfy all requirements of a 21st century public library. The design proposes an elevated public library plaza containing public amenities and skylights to the great library hall below. The remainder of the library is designed into the north-facing slope of the Observatory Hill.
A MEETING PLACE FOR ALL
The Stockholm city Library advances the reputation of Stockholm as a progressive city of knowledge. The heart of the redesigned complex is the elevated Library Plaza. A generous ramp leads visitors coming from Odenplan up onto the plaza. A stairway leading up Observatory Hill, stairs leading across to the library park at Svaevagen, as well as providing direct links while two stairs at either side of the Asplund Library forge strong links with the surrounding area. This sense of connectivity exhibits the ideals of transparency, democracy, diversity and social responsibility and announces the new Stockholm city Library as a gathering place for the people of Stockholm and Sweden at large.
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ARCHITECTURE AND LANDSCAPE
This highly contextual approach merges landscape and architecture, becoming a destination point as well. Major public amenities are situated on the Library plaza such as café and restaurant. A large portion of this roof plate features north-facing, folding skylights that provide natural light to the library hall below. These linear strips of skylights alternate in shape: as one strip provides maximum opening at its apex, the strip above and below have their largest openings at their end points. This design creates a soft undulating surface at the exterior while providing uniform illumination for the library hall.
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CONTEXT
The library addition enhances the two most prominent features of the area, the solitaire of the Asplund Library and the natural features of the Observatory Hill by opening the site towards the hill and creating a large interconnected library space featuring indoor links to the lending hall of the Asplund library, the new Odenplan developments, the main entrance at Odengatan and the top of the Observatory Hill.
We feel that the public will benefit from this new library plaza and the continuous library hall below outweighs the historic value of the Annex buildings. Nonetheless, the concept is strong and flexible enough to allow Annex 3 and Annex 2 to be retained under certain circumstances and with a detriment in increased cost and reduced flexibility within the library hall.
PUBLIC PRESENCE
The main entrance structure is located on Odengatan and includes a series of programmable LED screens that will announce library events in vibrant moving pictures and draw visitors from all nearby areas.
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FLEXIBILITY
The new library’s organization foremost qualities are its flexibility and adaptability. The lower connected floor plates that contain most of the collections range from 5,500 to 3,500 m2 each and are arranged in a terraced “vineyard scheme” thus allowing a multitude of library related arrangements. The media collections are located in connected vertical tiers each spanning a section of all four lower floor terraces. This design provides varied daylight conditions for the readers and facilitates future changes in collection size.
The main public circulation in the library is formed by a cross: one of the cross’s axes connects the Asplund Library and Odenplan development, the other linking the main entrance to a central circulation spine that leads the visitor through the entire building to the top of the Observatory Hill.
