Library Buildings around the World

the facilities that are available. Large openings with deep reveals mark the individual entrances for the various groups of users. The
complex is prepared for 23 optional ‘school dwellings’: classrooms which in the future can be converted into housing units without
much adaptation. In character and the use of materials, the brick exterior matches the other buildings of the IJwijk area whereas the
main hall in the middle of the schoolyard is clad with contrasting natural stone. The names of the two primary schools, ‘Klavertje
Vier’ (Four-leaf Clover) and ‘De Brandaris’ (The Lighthouse), are reflected in the colour scheme and design of the courtyard
gardens, lending each one its distinctive character. (Cie)
City Library, Rijeka – Croatia date of commission 2005
Gross Surface 5.949 m2
The organizing element of the library is its structure: mesh membranes and the central patio with the staircase. The patio is
designed in relation to the sunrays trajectories in order to bring light into the building, while the floor plans are flexible,
organized in different sections for visitors and library staff. The interior has walls, parts of mesh membranes which
articulate every floor through the landscape of unexpected spatial configuration. (Cie)
Claus En Kaan Architecten, Amsterdam – The Netherlands
http://www.clausenkaan.com
Libraries:
Huis voor Cultuur en Bestuur, Nijverdal, Gemeente Hellendorn – The Netherlands 2003 – 2007
The design for the Huis voor Cultuur en Bestuur ( House of Culture and Administration) of the municipality of Hellendoorn consists
of a series of impressive brick barrel vaults giving this town hall its bold character. Not only does it accentuate its most important
public function, it gives Nijverdal – a little over one century old, and without any architectonic signature – strong new identity. The
offices of the existing town hall dating from the 1960s are incorporated in a large public complex, which comprises not only a new
representative wing of the town hall with management and meeting facilities and a council chamber, but also cultural facilities
including a library, a theatre, a tourist information office and several commercial facilities among which a grand café. The textile of
the council chamber and other parts of the building is designed by Claudy Jongstra, overprints and signing are from graphic
designer Reynoud Homan and the balcony is the work of artist Norman Trapman. (Claus)
Claus and Kaan have often inspired by buildings from the fifties and sixties of the last century. So even in this House for Culture and
Governance. The shape of the building is reminiscent of the Adventskerk in Aerdenhout K. L. Sijmons (1958) and the Kimbell Art
Museum by Louis Kahn (1967-72). ( http://www.architectuur.org )
Jo Coenen & Co. Architects, Maastricht – Amsterdam – The Netherlands
http://www.jocoenen.com
Libraries:
Centrale Openbare Bibliotheek Oosterdokseiland, Amsterdam – The Netherlands 2001 – 2007
Literature:
de Architect 2007-9
Bouwwereld 2007-15
H. de Haan - Jo Coenen, 2004
The Amsterdam Public Library is the central one of three large new buildings on the restructured Oosterdokseiland, near the
Central Station. The programme consists of a library of almost 30,000 m2 (including theatre), a large café, and 9,000 m2 of offi ce
space. As in the Milan library design, a raised plinth offers a refi ned transitional area between the upper and lower fl oors, and here
too the reading and study rooms are like terraces, though this time they are not arranged in a spiral but are placed around large and
tall empty spaces. A terrace on the top fl oor accommodates the library theatre and conference rooms. The main shape of the
building is attuned to the surroundings: both the apartments on the west side and the wide avenue on the east side leading to
the conservatory must receive enough sunlight. At the same time, situated as it is beside the open waters of the Oosterdok, the library
has to contribute to an attractive skyline. (Hilde de Haan / Coenen)
In the original masterplan, Amsterdam's new public library was to have had meeting rooms on the roof. Jo Coenen moved these to
the rear of the library facing the tracks. Consequently this key public building, although one in a series, occupies an appropriately
autonomous position. This status is strengthened by setting back the front facade to create a public entrance plaza with a canopy.
These interventions do mean however that space and available daylight are at a minimum. So the library before anything else is a
compact three-dimensional puzzle with daylight incidence a key factor. Walls and ceiling have a gleaming white finish, one reason
being to distribute the light as evenly as possible. A zone of lifts, stairs, escalators and voids stabbing through the building acts as its
spatial spine drawing the disparate components together. (http://www.architectureguide.nl)
Stadtsbibliotheek Maastricht – Centre Céramique, Maastricht – The Netherlands 2003
The „Centre Céramique” is located in the northern part of the new city district of Maastricht, Céramique. It accommodates a range
of functions: a library, townhall, exhibition rooms, City Archives and the European Journalists Centre. A café connects the „Centre
Céramique” to the „Bordenhal”, which has been converted into a theatre. With Plein 1992, this complex is becoming a new city
meeting place. Thus, the fourth square is coming into being in the City of Maastricht, alongside the Vrijthof, the Markt and the Onze
lieve Vrouwenplein. A planned pedestrian and cyclist bridge will connect the „Centre Céramique” to the western shore of the river
Maas and, consequently, to the historic inner city of Maastricht. To the west, towards the river Maas, the „Centre Céramique”
creates a smooth transition between the City Hall and the adjacent square. It offers a view of the opposite shore. The openness of the
building is enhanced by the glass façade of the City Hall with its 8m to 12m high open space. This essential design is sustained in the
building. Thanks to the shifting lay-out of the empty spaces on the upper levels, a vertical walk along the various departments of the
library will provide surprising perspectives. The choice of materials – concrete, glass, wood and aluminium – creates a special
atmosphere which is further accentuated by the interior decoration and the lighting. The bond with the history of the location is
cited in every possible way. For instance, the reading room in the basement is bordered by the defensive rampart and the city moat,
both constructed in the 16th and 17th centuries around the Wijck city quarter. From the wooden reading bays one has an interesting
view of the city moat. The wall runs like a thread through the different buildings, thus becoming a connecting element. Here, Jo
Coenen links past and present to create an integrated whole, showing the field of tension between the city and the interior.
(http://www.architectenweb.nl)
(NAI) Nederlands Architektuur Institut, Rotterdam – The Netherlands 1988 – 1993
The commission for the Architecture Institute – after a competition that was limited to six firms – marked the start of Coenen´s
international recognition. The institute is conceived as an ensemble of relatively autonomous architectural elements, which are above
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