Library Buildings around the World

It is a bright room with a high ceiling and two large space-creating elements: "The Rotunda" and "The Bookshelf", both of which
are visible from the outside, and consequently help to communicate the building's activities. The Bookshelf provides access to the
library and separates it from the ‘market square’. Its location along one side of the market square means that the library makes
natural use of parts of the square for its exhibitions, notice boards, etc. The school and the library are also linked by a smaller
connecting building.
The Rotunda houses the auditorium/multi-purpose hall. It can be opened up with large folding doors, allowing the market square to
become a regular floor area, which may be utilised for large events, exhibitions, etc.
The building also houses a number of functions associated with the adjacent school. These functions are located in close proximity to
the existing school buildings, and form a backbone towards the west and south.
Along the south side of the market square is a meeting centre with transparent walls on the hall side, allowing contact with the
building's activities.
The activity centre is located on the ground floor on the western side of the building.
In 2006 Mosaikken was granded with support from the Statens Kunstfond, Denmark and was decorated with items of art made by
the artist Leonard Forslund. (Arkitema)
Town Hall and Library, Skive – Denmark 2004 -2005
10.950 m², DKK 25 Mill.
Skives new town hall and library is built with the goal to save the most energy and avoid the most releases of CO2. Overall, there is
10,700 m2, where the use of alternative energy sources and use of energy saving measures have made it possible to reduce
energy from traditional fossil fuels to what that corresponds to a house of ca.130 m2. This could produce a global CO2 emission from
energy facilities (electricity and heat) of approx. 25% compared with a traditionally built town hall / library.
(http://eng.energibyenskive.dk)
Møns Library, Møns – Denmark 2005
Rebuilding 670 m², Extension 420 m²
Ebeltoft Town Hall – Denmark 1995
Client Ebeltoft Municipality, 9.300 m²
Project Conversion of private hospital into town hall and library for Ebeltoft Municipality
BIG Architects – Bjarke Ingels Group, Copenhagen - Denmark
http://www.big.dk
National library, Astana, Kazakhstan – Kazakhstan 2012
BIG architects were awarded first prize in an open international competition to design kazakhstan’s new national library in
astana, named after the firstpresident of the republic of kazakhstan, nursultan nazarbayev, encompasses an estimated
33.000m2. the winning proposal was chosen by the prime minister of kazakhstan k. masimov together with astana’s akim
i.tasmagambetov and a council of architects. the circular organisation of the archive at its inner core combines the clarity of a
linear organisation with the convenience of an infinite loop. 'the design of the national library combines four universal
archetypes across space and time into a new national symbol: the circle, the rotunda, the arch and the yurt are merged into
the form of a moebius strip. the clarity of the circle, the courtyard of the rotunda, the gateway of the arch and the soft
silhouette of the yurt are combined to create a new national monument appearing local and universal, contemporary and
timeless, unique and archetypal at the same time' - bjarke ingels the library is conceived as a symbiosis of urbanity and
nature. like astana, which is located in the heart of the kazakh mainland, it will be integrated into the heart of a re-created
kazakh landscape. the park around the library is designed like a living library of trees, plants, minerals and rocks allowing
visitors to experience a cross section of kazakhstan’s natural landscape. (http://www.designboom.com) (see als:
http://www.dezeen.com)
Bosch & Fjord, Copenhagen – Denmark
After more than ten years of renewal, change and challenge of office landscapes, learning environments, libraries and city space, it
has become time for Rosan Bosch and Rune Fjord Jensen to renew themselves. The creative art and design company Bosch & Fjord
therefore splits up as of January 1st, 2011 and becomes two new companies led respectively by the former partners of Bosch &
Fjord, Rosan Bosch and Rune Fjord Jensen. Bosch & Fjord has existed since 2001 where Rosan Bosch and Rune Fjord Jensen
decided to work collaboratively with art, design and architecture in interdisciplinary projects, with the purpose of creating spatial
surroundings and environments that open up for new possibilities and invite to new ways of acting. Since then, a wide range of
challenging and engaging art and design projects have come into being, with everything from engaging city signs that develop our
way of seeing and using the city to overall interior design of Lego’s Development Department. In Bosch & Fjord’s projects, art slides
into the everyday life as a natural part of organisations and in the identity and function of places. The purpose has been to create
projects where art has a function and design has a meaning. Through the years, Bosch & Fjord has stood out with a wide range of
interesting projects. In their first project in 2002, they created ‘Mindlab’ for the Danish Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs,
which reorganised and renewed the way the employees work at the Ministry. In the same way, the overall interior design of Ordrup
School (2006) paved the way for the development of a new learning environment where challenging rooms now create space for
varied teaching and creative thinking. Bosch & Fjord’s design gives the individual pride of place as for example in the project ‘It’s
Not My Fault’ (2007) where the artist duo in collaboration with the prison inmates created new, child-friendly visiting facilities at
Vridsløselille State Prison, where children of inmates now can visit their parents in safe and child-friendly surroundings.
Internationally, there has also been a keen interest for Bosch & Fjord’s design, where especially the Free Zone Istanbul sign project
and the interior design of LEGO (2007) and Hjørring Library (2008) has attracted much attention. For example does many Japanese
believe that Hjørring is a part of Copenhagen, as Bosch & Fjord’s library design really has put the city on the global map. Through
their work as artists and designers, Bosch & Fjord has shown that there is an actual need for dynamic, engaging and challenging
space and environments – and it doesn’t stop here! The duo is now moving in opposite directions to examine their possibilities on
their own, but will still cooperate as artists on selected projects. And one thing is for certain – it is not going to be dull! (Bosch Fjord)
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