Library Buildings around the World

As well as the façade is the significant appearance of the building it also serves as a shell providing shelter for sun, wind and
climate. This façade is designed to adapt perfectly to the conditions in Riyadh. The system of triangles leaning in and out
from the vertical plane creates shade for one another and the angled position of the shading opens the façade towards the
north where it will have the optimum daylight without heat gain from direct sun impact. The façade system will be clad with
natural stone to match the existing MOFA building. Different grindings of the surface could be used to underline the
facetted triangular system and make the façade sparkle from reflections.
The stepped oasis going upwards in the building and the overhanging decks create a huge cohesive spatiality. As each of the
steps and deck are twisted with an angle of 45 degrees to the façade it provides long areas with visual contact with the
stepped oasis, view through the façade and connections between the Consular Affairs Department and the Institute of
Diplomatic Studies. This stepped oasis will with its green plants create a unique environment and atmosphere, which will
excite and please visitors and users as they make their way around in the building. All offices and classrooms are placed
along the four façades providing necessary daylight. Common facilities for the Consular Affairs Department and the
Institute of Diplomatic Studies as lobby, cafeteria and library are placed on the stepped oasis, and due to the angle on the
stepped storeys these facilities have daylight and an exciting view to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building. (Henning)
Prince Naif Centre for Health Science Research, Riyadh - Saudi Arabia 2012
Collaboration: NNE Pharmaplan (labs, MEP), Buro Happold (structure, civil engineering, geotechnical engineering,
acoustics, fire, security, sustainability, waste management), Geoffrey Barnett Associates (quantity surveyors).
Client: King Saud University, Gross floor area: 23,800 m2, Type of assignment: Commission
The Prince Naif Centre for Health Science Research is a new building designed for the largest university in Saudi Arabia,
King Saud University, situated in the capital of Riyadh. The new Centre of 23,800 m2 comprises world-class research
facilities, including facilities for research in cancer, molecular biology, genetics, infectious diseases and several other medical
disciplines. nspired by a monolith, the building is placed on a podium, which roots the building in the urban, local context.
The central Science Square is the heart of the building and features common functions such as lobby, café, library and
lecture hall. Visual and physical contact connects the laboratories to the workstations on the open balconies. Thus, the
design supports informal meetings and innovation across research areas. The significant architectural cut of the northern
facade marks the main entrance to the building and provides a view of the life in the Science Square. The remaining facades
have a modern, sophisticated structure, which filters the strong daylight and reduces the need for cooling. The interplay
between light and shadow provided by the facade contributes to creating a cool, light and vibrant atmosphere in the
building. (Henning)
Arts Campus (Library) Umeå University, Umeå – Sweden 2012
Client: Baltic Group, Gross floor area: 15,000 m2, Year of construction: 2008 – 2012, Type of assignment: Commision
The creative environment of the Institute of Design and the Academy of Fine Arts is the essence of a new arts campus at
Umeå University. The dynamic campus area is developed at the Umeå riverside. The unique locality at the water with the
riverside promenade and the proximity to the centre of Umeå are the ideal surroundings for a university campus with public
recreational areas. The first stage of the arts campus includes three new buildings: the School of Architecture, the Academy
of Fine Arts and a new museum of art, which is the central building of the campus area comprising exhibitions and café open
to the public.The campus skyline is formed by the above mentioned three separate buildings each contributing with a
distinctive identity to the area. The interaction between independence and synergy is the fundamental idea for the structures
and it is created by physically linking the buildings in a big common base placed parallel to the riverside promenade. The
base holds all common facilities. The scale of the buildings at the campus area refers to the other buildings of the city. The
lamella façade is inspired by the birch trees and the water reflections from the river. (Henning)
Reykjavik University (Library) – Iceland 2010
Client: Reykjavik Háskólinn, Gross floor area: 90,000 m2, Year of construction: 2007 – 2010, Type of assignment:
First prize in international competition
Reykjavik University, Reykjavik Háskólinn, consolidates the currently spread university functions at one campus in the
southern part of the city.
The objective is to strengthen the city identity as a lively and attractive centre of education that – as a flagship for
educational trends – attracts students and researchers from all over the world.
The large-scale building, is designed as a circular, independent city with streets, squares and shopping centre. The project
realises the idea of the university as a city allowing the individual departments to be organised as independent quarters
around a uniting, inner square.
The square provides access to all the university departments whilst housing the common university facilities such as café,
restaurants, art gallery, gym, bookshop, nursery, library etc. Thus, a lively urban scene is created in the building – a
vibrating centre that generates life and energy to the surrounding streets.
The building covers 90,000 m2 in total of which 32,000 m2 has been built. (Henning)
Jåttå Vocational School, Stavanger – Norway 2007
Client: Rogaland County Council, Gross floor area: 16,000 m2, Year of construction: 2005 - 2007
Type of assignment:First prize in international competition, 2000
Literature:
World Architecture News, 2009,27. Febr. “A Modern Learning Environment”
Jåttå Vocational School is designed as a small ‘town in town’ featuring a vibrant double-high central street surrounded by
individual ‘urban quarters’, each with their own teaching environments and lecture rooms.
The heart of the school – the central street comprising the main hall, canteen and resource centre – forms an active and
vibrant gathering point offering a view of the green patios and roof landscape of the building as well as the workshops and
study areas. A sequence of ramps and stairs lead from the entrance further up through the building and through the lecture
hall, all the way up to the roof landscape offering a view of the scenery and fjord.
With its minimalist, almost floating architecture, Jåttå Vocational School forms the entrance to Stavanger’s new urban
quarter by the fjord. The concentrated design enhances the way the building interacts with its surroundings and thus
underlines its proximity and transparency. The double high windows allow daylight into the building, stimulating the
learning process.
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