Library Transformed into a 24 Hour, Open Air, Community Space

Hands down this is one of the most interesting examples of creative architecture and community spaces we’ve seen all year. But the finished project almost falls in the shadow of the story about how this library came about.

Located in a neglected area of East Germany with high unemployment and figures of building vacancies up to 80%, the origins of this project began in 2005 outside the district’s former library which had closed. KARO Architects constructed a full size temporary library with 1,000 beer crates that were lent to them. This pop-up version lasted two days and operated on an honor system. Residents relocated books to a more permanent home in an abandon storefront. Donated books continued to come in and the collection quickly grew to 20,000 titles.

The need for a more permanent yet accessible place for the books as well as a gathering place for the community was clear. Fundraising began and eventually the project received grant money from the government as a pilot project. KARO started work on the design and chose the theme of a “bookmark” to develop ideas from. The team wanted to include elements of remembrance, history and narratives to provided the background for the “re-occupation” of the abandoned expanse the new library would occupy.

This past June, the new outdoor library opened. Use of the library is free, there is no registration and books can be accessed 24 hours a day, all year long. Referred to as a “library of confidence” users are encouraged to bring back books they take away or donate another one in exchange. The site of the library features a communal stage which is used for elementary school plays, book readings, concerts, and cultural events. A volunteer group of residents take care of keeping the books organized and the reading areas clean.

KARO’s design of the library structure at first glance might seem expensive with the use of custom cast blocks. But actually the modernist blocks are all recycled from a nearby warehouse building that was knocked down in 2007. The blocks were salvaged, cleaned up and reused to construct the entire structure of the library.

[via arch daily]