In contrast to the other buildings in the Töölönlahti District of Helsinki, an essential component of the design by PAR and Arup for the Central Library involved creating a public space at the top of the library—visually connecting Töölönlahti to Senate Square and the city at large. The library is organized by six intersecting axes that afford spectacular vistas while creating a variety of spatial configurations for the library’s program. With it’s six floor levels each pointing toward a celebrated landmark, the Central Library becomes a symbolic center for city. More images and architects’ description after the break.
A series of programmatic strips are stacked to create a narrow building that is optimal for the Helsinki climate and library program. The strips feature 11.5 m deep plates that allow for flexibility in collections layout and maximize available natural light, creating an ideal reading environment crucial for the library. A superimpostion of the strips is extruded up to maximum height generating a prismatic volume that contains a public void at the ground level. Along the plaza is a multi-height atrium which opens up to the park and pedestrian pathway draws people into the library. The landscape block is at the same time integrated and outstanding, traditional and contemporary. It creates a stage-like space for the annual gathering of the National Day of Finland.
