Library Buildings around the World

Estonia
3+1 architects, Tallinn – Estonia
http://www.threeplusone.ee
Libraries:
Pärnu Central Library, Pärnu – Estonia 2008
3.500 m², € 5.806.000
Awards:
The architects of „3+1“ are the laureates of annual architectural prize of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia 2008 for designing
Pärnu Central Library building.
The title “Deed of the Year” has in 2008 been awarded to Pärnu central library.
Architectural idea or principle:
Pärnu Central Library was designed by „3+1“ architects Markus Kaasik, Andres Ojari and Ilmar Valdur.
Construction of the library has unfortunately been a long, drawn-out process as the municipality of Pärnu decided to build the
structure in two stages. Due to constantly rising construction costs during the property boom of the early 2000s, due to the lack of
resources, the municipality was only prepared to finance the building of storage space for the books and totally neglected the public
function of the library. In 2007 the architects and city government signed a contract for the completion of their project. And the
building of Pärnu Central Library was completed in November 2008. The library has three floors: there's the periodicals reading
room, Open Internet Access Point with 10 workstations (1 for the vision impaired), galleries for exhibitions, coffee corner,
conference hall, administration and acquisitions department on the ground floor. Pending conference hall, home lending department
and children's department are on the first floor and reference reading room, German reading room and music department are
situated on the second floor. The library is situated in the central square in the city of Pärnu, next to a 1960s theatre building and
close to the city's 17th -century fortifications. Pärnu's central square was planned following World War II for the location of the Old
Town, reduced to ruins. The new library located along the trajectory of Pikk Street completes the Stalinist plans that were
unfinished in their day, and connects the square in front of the theatre with the moat. The library is framed by a different view from
each direction. In order to link it to its context, the all-glass building has a smaller plaza in front that leads to the entrance; the
outside space is continued inside the building and transparent walls allow for visual continuity between them. The purpose of the
building is to add more cultural life and compactness to the existing unfocused space, while breaking up the rigid linear symmetry
characteristic of Stalinist planning. The library is surrounded by a different environment on all sides and small local open plazas
were created on each side, which also correspond to the division of the functions inside the library. Much attention has been paid to
purpose-driven function and planning of the interior creating a non-hierarchical spatial system. The backbone of the building is
comprised by a system of stairs and ramps that extend through the whole building and as it descends, opens into different library
halls. The ramps and stairs extend outward from the building as open common spaces, each with a different appearance. The views
from the different levels and the slopping surfaces that jut into the building create a coherent space that „flows“ through the
building – from the central square to the baroque-era moat. Most importantly, the public urban space continues through the library
building, or more precisely the library itself becomes a part of the city space. The other important aspect is the way in which it
provides insight into the context of the city space: the building is located with an overhanging corner right above the former
commander's castle. The library is completely covered with shiny glass, allowing one to perceive through the facades its
„belongingness“ to the city. As the city of Pärnu is a popular summer resort, the building has to meet not only year-round local
requirements, but also cater for the interests of a large visiting public. In addition to designated reading areas, the library is
equipped with conference rooms, exhibition spaces, children's corner and a cosy coffee corner. The main structural innovation
related to the library function is the fact that all books are on open shelves – the public can freely stroll the stacks and browse the
volumes. It is perhaps akin to an ordinary supermarket – shelves upon shelves where it is as easy as possible to find the product
(book) you are looking for. The only major difference is that here no one is compelling you to buy anything. The modern library is
becoming more and more user-friendly, a fluid event space. (http://www.librarybuildings.info/estonia/paernu-central-library)
The central square was designed during the post-war Stalinist period to replace the ruins of the bombed medieval city centre. New
library adds activity and cultural intensities to the existing bleak space, breaking with its positioning square's rigid axial symmetry.
The library is bounded by different environments from each direction. The facade of the building is completely clad with clear glass.
So the local squares are created in all sides of the building, which are characterised by the placement of the library's functions.
Special attention is focused to the functional aspects and interior planning, creating a non-hierarchical arrangement of space. The
views unfolding in the levels as well as ramps intersecting into the building create coherent space, which extends through the library
from the central square to the Baroque moat. (3+1)
The library is situated in a central square in the city of Pärnu, next to a 1960s theatre building and close to the city's 17th-century
fortifications. Library is framed by a different view from each direction. In order to link it to its context, the all-glass building has a
smaller plaza in front that leads to the entrance; the outside space is continued inside the building and transparent walls allow for
visual continuity between them. The interior is arranged largely as an undivided continuum that serves to reinforce the idea of a
single coherent space extending through the library from the theatre square to the edge of the old town. As the city of Pärnu is a
popular summer resort, the building has to meet not only year-round local requirements, but also cater for the interests of large
visiting public. In addition to designated reading areas, the library is equipped with conference rooms, exhibition spaces and cosy
coffee corner. ("4dsocial : Interactive Design Environments, 2007).
The architects of 3+1 are the laureates of annual architectural prize of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia 2008 for designing Pärnu
Central Library's building. (http://www.pkr.ee/en/about_library.html)
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