The university library on the campus of the Cité scientifique at Villeneuve d’Ascq, created and designed in the 1960s, was completly renovated and reopened in 2016.
Now LILLIAD includes besides traditional library services and learning spaces the Xperium, a demonstrator of the scientific research carried out at the university and also two amphitheaters, two meeting rooms and a reception area, dedicated to promoting innovation and hosting the most prestigious events held at the university.
The Chemnitz University Library was moved in 2020 to a renovated industrial building dating from 1860. The exterior cubing of the former spinning mill– a five-level central building and two long four-level lateral wings with a pitched roof and prominent corner towers – was rebuilt during the reconstruction. The distinctive characteristics of the interior of the building are made visible again. The library is now located close to the university’s main building in the city center of Chemnitz.
Marrying 24-hour opening and energy efficiency is a critical challenge for libraries and learning spaces. UCL sought to tackle this challenge in the design of the Student Centre. Opened in 2019, the new building is open 24-hours, all year round, and was awarded an awarded ‘Outstanding’ sustainability rating for its environmental credentials. The 5,764 square metre building includes an array of sustainability features, including ground-source heat pumps, natural ventilation features, minimal waste through construction and use of highly durable materials. It also benefits from a Japanese style garden, green roof and 250 square metres of electric solar panels. With 1,000 study seats, the building is a focal point for the campus – including for study and events – and has received over 3m visits since its opening.
The Gabriel Garcia Marquez Library just opened in a working class neighborhood in Barcelona. It’s magical. It’s real. And it’s the kind of place that makes you wonder why every city doesn’t give its residents palaces for the people.
Eric Klinenberg. Author of “Palaces for the People”.
In 2019 the University Library of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich opened its largest subject library to date, the Philologicum. The new building unites ten libraries of the Faculty of Linguistics and Literature under one roof, offers 740 workspaces for different uses, and houses approx. 400.000 volumes. The new building structure was constructed, including a new façade where the 19th century walls had been destroyed during World War II and now unites several smaller subject libraries of the faculty within one large, modern subject library. Continue Reading
The Vysocina Regional Library in Havlíckuv Brod opened in 2020. It is an elaborate building, during the implementation of which emphasis was placed on high utility value, quality of materials and ecology. It is a comprehensive work that will enrich the unused public space of the town and provide a unique functional unit for its purpose. An exceptional element is the cladding of the building, which sensitively blends in with the surroundings and underlines the unique appearance of the library. Over the year the green facade changes, ensuring a unique look. The dominant feature of the entrance area are high wooden stairs, complemented by a wall of live flowers and designed for sitting, which serves as an amphitheater for cultural events. Visitors can also use the roof of the library, where there is a summer reading room with the beautiful views of the surroundings.
Helsinki Central Library Oodi is a living meeting place at Kansalaistori square, right at the heart of Helsinki. It is one of 37 branches of Helsinki City Library and part of the Helmet library network.
Oodi complements the cultural and media hub formed by Helsinki Music Centre, Finlandia Hall, Sanoma House and the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma. Oodi is a non-commercial, urban public space that is open to all, right opposite the Parliament Building.
Oodi provides its users with knowledge, new skills and stories, and is an easy place to access for learning, story immersion, work and relaxation. It is a library of a new era, a living and functional meeting place open for all.
Oodi is the flagship library for a nation of booklovers.
Oodi is a venue for events, a house of reading and a diverse urban experience.
The National Library of Luxembourg (Bibliothèque nationale du Luxembourg, BnL) is the country’s leading academic, research and cultural heritage library. It collects, catalogues and preserves all analogue and digital publications published in Luxembourg and any works published abroad that relate to the Grand Duchy. As an academic and research library, the BnL has the status of a special library: about three-quarters of its printed collections come from other countries and they cover different fields of knowledge. In addition to over 1.8 million printed publications, the BnL also offers its readers an ever-growing number of digital documents: electronic journals, e-books, databases, digitised Luxembourgish works as well as archived digital documents and web pages originating in Luxembourg.
Located in the north-east of Scotland, The University of Aberdeen was established in 1495 and its library holds over a million books including significant special collections. The 15,500 m² spectacular new Sir Duncan Rice Library designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen officially opened in 2012 and provides an advanced 21st century learning and research environment employing the latest technology. At the heart of the library a spiralling skewed atrium connecting all eight storeys rises up from a double-height entrance area; the dramatic interior contrasts with the clean-cut exterior profile. The library is designed with sustainability in mind and has been certified BREEAM Excellent. Consisting of an irregular pattern of insulated panels and high-performance glazing, the façade not only allows plenty of daylight to penetrate into the building but also offers great views over the city of Aberdeen. The goal set out in the competition brief was to create a magnificent academic library for science and research which would also serve as a meeting place and a cultural centre for the students and staff of the University and also for the local community.
Luxembourg 2018
The University Library opened the new Luxembourg Learning Centre (LLC) in September 2018 after 12 years of planning. It is a modern library, fit for the years to come with enough space for the growing number of students, including collaborative spaces, and with a modern and flexible technology infrastructure. The University of Luxembourg was formed in 2003 from three formerly autonomous institutes of higher education.
Learning Centre is located at the heart of the “City of Science” that revitalizes a former industrial site. The LLC is a new building integrated into the steel structure of an old stocking house for the steel production next to two remaining blast furnaces. A lot of open space allows for spectacular and surprising views.
