![]() They are spaces designed just for the public to hang out in in the heart of the city, "a civic living room." That's a dominant theme of the library's design, following a mandate to promote democratic equality (other themes-active citizenship and freedom of expression-are answered by Oodi's proximity also to the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper and the Parliament. The library's other two levels seem to meld into each other through a series of curving zero-threshold spaces that start in the outdoor plaza. Finland is known for its vibrant library culture, but ALA's design upset any traditional library model, most noticeably by relegating reading space and bookshelves to the top floor, which sits under an undulating roof (it also resembles an iceberg, creating a visual rhyme with Finlandia Hall). (They were chosen following an anonymous competition.) Some of Oodi's famous neighbors include Finlandia Hall, Alvaar Aalto's magnificent iceberg-inspired Concert Hall, and Finnish Parliament. The 185,774-square-foot, Finnish spruce timber–clad library, called Oodi ("ode" in Finnish) is the work of local architect firm ALA, led by Juho Grönholm, Antti Nousjoki, and Samuli Woolston. While historians consider the 17th century to be “the golden age of libraries,” these contemporary projects suggest a biblio-renaissance is well underway.įor a cultural institution defined by silence, in a country known for its love of the same, the new Helsinki Central Library, which opens this week, has been the talk of the town. In the spirit of buildings like Dublin’s Trinity College Library, today’s institutions are designed to inspire. One tradition has been remained, though: The art of making the library an architectural centerpiece. As a result, services and spaces have evolved to appeal to digitally native generations. library attendance by Pew Research Center, millennials use libraries more than any other generation. Robotic book-retrieval systems have made way for communal spaces punctuated with art, turning the library into a social sphere. Step inside the world’s most modern libraries and you’ll find dynamic tools and spaces, from podcast recording studios to game development labs. The library was once a silent sanctuary of books but today-thanks to new technology and trailblazing design-its contemporary interpretations are far from quiet. ![]()
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