Through their concept of turning a traditional library inside out, Tanni Lam, Johnny Chiu, and Adrian Lo started with a simple architectural question: Why can’t we turn this inside out, have the users surround the books, thus huge openings, views, ventilation, visual dialogue, can be exchanged between inside and outside? All great libraries in the world have the books surrounding them, covering the space, but this design is a living library, a library that opens up new vistas for us, adding depth to our perception. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The need for a new library in the centre of Helsinki became topical already in the 1990s in connection with the development of the Kamppi-Toolonlahti area. In the public debate the widespread view among the general public was that there was lacking a library suited to the scale of the city centre, a meaningful place for Finnish reading culture and literature. It will be an entirely new kind of library where knowledge, skills and stories meet, a laid-back and reliable place to come to whether you are just after some quiet reading time or want to engage with other people. It is a source of joy and inspiration and provides us with the resources we need in our everyday lives.
