Library Buildings around the World

Finland
Anttinen Oiva Architects, Helsinki – Finland
http://www.aoa.fi
Libraries:
University of Helsinki, City Campus Library, Helsinki – Finland 2012
Project Manager: Vesa Oiva, Collaborators: Jussi Kalliopuska, Selina Anttinen, Antti Lehto, Building services consultant: Aila
Puusaari, DI, Pˆyry Building Services Oy, Construction-engineering consultant: Sami Lampinen, DI, WSP Finland Oy
Library consultants: Irma Pasanen, office chief, Library of Helsinki University of Technology / Risto Maijala, library amanuense,
Library of Helsinki University of Technology, Client: University of Helsinki, Project Area: 32,000 sqm, Design year: 2008-2010
Construction year: 2010-2012.
The University of Helsinki is developing its library structure by joining together the five faculty libraries of its central campus, which
are presently dispersed around different parts of the city centre, to form a single administrative unit. The largest academic library in
Finland will be created in the historically important Hirvi [Elk] city block in the very heart of the city centre. The new library
building complements the urban block by adding a curved brick facade, integrated within the street line formed by the adjacent
buildings. (http://www.archdaily.com)
ARK-house arkkitehdi Oy, Helsinki – Finland
http://www.ark-house.com
Libraries:
Info Centre, Korona, University of Helsinki-Viikki – Finland 1999
The Korona information centre is the new main building of the University of Helsinki Viikki Campus. The large Science Library
forms a major part of the building and it houses the departmental libraries of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, which were
formerly independent, as well as the Pihlajamäki branch of the Helsinki City Library. The building also houses the administrative
offices of the faculty and the campus, and the main teaching facilities and assembly rooms. The co-existence of the Science Library
and the public library will provide an opportunity for cooperation between the two and expand the user base of the building, thus
creating a link between the university campus and the surrounding residential area: a meeting place for students and the local
community.
The Infocentre project began in 1996 with an invited competition. The name of the building, Korona, stems from the pseudonym of
the winning entry. The name is a reference to the principal design idea behind the curved facade, a central feature in both the
competition entry and the final design. “The outer circle is a radiating corona - in constant interaction with its environs. The
‘conservatory wall’ and its changing lighting give the building a strong identity during both day and night”, state the architects in
their account. Varying transparency of the glazed circumference and the rich-colour and rough texture of the back wall create an
interplay that brings the facade to life. Seasonal changes, the time of day and light source all affect the appearance of the elevation.
The hue of the reflected light colours the surroundings of the building, establishing it as the key building in the Viikki area.
The interior spaces are organised around high, toplit ‘streets’ that lead from the entrance hall - piazza - at the heart of the building,
towards the gardens, or ‘parks’ as they may be called. The corridors delineate the book stack space by opening up vertical and
horizontal vistas across the building. The curved blue wall, as well as the auditorium, team work facility and office masses, lined with
shuttering plywood, have been separated as independent elements. Together with the steel balustrades and staircases they establish
the ambient colours and materials of the interior.
The curved facade is accentuated by three gardens separated from the interior spaces by a glass curtainwalls. The Nile Arboretum,
the Roman Garden and the Kyoto Bamboo Garden represent the landscapes and garden art of ancient civilisations and symbolise
the significance of global interaction in the expansion of human knowledge. The vegetation in the gardens is representative of the
respective cultures and the disciplines studied in Viikki. Once the plants have grown, they will offer the library visitors a chance to
stop for a while in the midst of greenery during the dark and chilly days of autumn and spring. In mid-winter, the temperature is
kept below room temperature, at a level required by the plants.
A rectilinear area has been cut off the south-west quarter of the cylindrical building to form a square, flanked by the Biocentre 1
building at the opposite edge. The square links the contrasting geometry of the building to its context and creates a central public
space of the campus area. The square is paved with concrete pavers and a grid of cobblestones that delineates the surface. The
hardness of concrete is softened with grass sown in the paver joints, thus bringing some of the greenness of the surrounding lawns in
the square. The contrast between the subtracted rectilinear form facing the square and the cylindrical portion is enhanced by
different methods of cladding. The planar facades are characterised by the warm colour of the translucent coating of the wood
batten sun screens and machine seamed sheet metal cladding. The sunscreens, canopies, and the cafè terrace form a linear pattern
oriented towards the main entrance.
The glazed envelope of the curved facade is not only architecturally motivated but also has an ecological and technological function.
The envelope acts as a low-maintenance ‘overcoat’, which enables the use of very simple structures inside, and eliminates the need
for further weather protection. The envelope reduces heat losses during winter and the need for cooling during summer. The space
between the glazing and the masonry wall acts as a climatic buffer used for preheating incoming fresh air. Thanks to the circular
shape of the building, fresh air can be taken in from the desired sector, depending on the season and temperature.
(http://www.e-architect.co.uk)
Helsinki City library, Viikki - Finland 1999
The floor area 1000m²
Viikki Library is the cultural centre and public living room for the surrounding community, while also offering the citizens a path to
the world of science.
In addition to the extensive basic library functions, the library in Viikki focuses on the disciplines taught and researched at the
campus, and offers information services. The library is committed to sustainable development and ecological values in its operation.
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