Nordvest Library
Client:
City of Copenhagen
Size:
3,150 m2
Program:
Transformation of and extension to existing culture house including library and concert hall
Collaborators:
TRANSFORM, Wessberg, Schønherr, Bdr. A&B Andersen
Awards:
Danish Landscape Award 2017, Architizer A+ Awards 2015 Finalist, Politiken iBYEN Award 2013, MIPIM Award 2012 – Best Refurbished Building, Foreningen Hovedstadens Forskønnelse 2011, Copenhagen Award 2011 – Best Public Building
In Copenhagen’s multicultural north-west district, the Nordvest Library is designed as a diverse and unifying space – a place where visitors can read, meet with friends and family, or simply relax. The building is a transformation of an existing cultural center, and an extension with a children’s library, a youth library, a library for adults and a concert hall that together form a community center. The building’s design is comprised of four golden boxes stacked on top of one another, each containing one of the building’s four main functions. Deliberately designed to resemble a stack of books, the building’s floors each contain a world of their own.
The northwest area in Copenhagen is located between the lively and diverse urban neighborhood of Nørrebro and the villa neighborhoods at the edge of the city. The library bridges the two and creates a place to meet. In an area dominated by very small apartments, the library becomes an extension of people’s homes, where residents line up for the 10 o’clock opening.
The space between the existing and the new building is an informal space designed as a continuation of the public street. This indoor public street functions an urban living room that the local community uses as their own living room. A social anchor point for everyone.
The Nordvest Library is one building — with many different living rooms.