"BIBLIO-Centrum"- Central Library, The Heart Of Metropolis

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"BIBLIO-Centrum"- Central Library, The Heart Of Metropolis

Firm

d INKOFF Architects & Engineers

Type

Educational › Library

SIZE

1,000,000 +

BUDGET

$100M +

                               BIBLIO-Centrum -
from the Greek word for book and the Latin word for center- will be Helsinki's
new 'book center" or "book central", a focal point for the most prominent
facilities of the city: Parliament, the
Helsinki Music Centre, the Finland Opera House, the Kiasma Museum, Sanoma
House, and the central railway station.                                                                              Proposed
by d INKOFF Architects & Engineers, the BIBLIO-Centrum
will be a center of diverse cultural and intellectual activities, a
congregating point for people with a thirst for knowledge. The book, as a
physical metaphor, is a path to a new unexplored world that is filled with
unexpected challenges, and the avant-garde architecture of BIBLIO-Centrum is
meant to express that. The shape grammar
of the construct manifests as ?book? that metamorphoses through pages that are
parted, flipped, and finally torn, to obscure its origin and to lead the viewer
to "detect" its roots, to re-discover them and to re-explore
them.   Aiding this re-evaluation is the
impression of horizontal pages, lying one on another, intersected with the bits
and bytes of digital media that appear at the elevations of the building. The horizontal stripes, exposed on the
facades, evoke the feeling of running text that updates the viewer on current
intellectual events, ultimately leading one to an expression of the transition
from the classical physical ?book? to that of both a repository and a source of
seminal information, regardless of medium.
                                                         The entrances to
the building are on the east and west sides where an imaginary "binding" allows
the pages to be flipped north and south.
The pedestrian drop off area is next to the entrances and the main
elevator, and above the tunnel system beneath the building. The upper pages on the north side are
"ripped" along their lines of text from their edges to the binding,
spilling apart to form a gap which reveals a garden that faces the bay and
passing vessels. The northeast side of
the roof supports solar panels which generate electricity for the building, the
intent being for self-sufficiency and no dependence on the city's power
grid. The northwest side of the roof
structure extends to form a sinuous and gently undulating spiral which runs
down to the bottom garage level and seemingly into the soil of Helsinki. It represents duality of space, providing
recreation as a ski run in winter and a garden/jog path in summer, and always
providing nurturance of Helsinki's intellectual landscape. The winter ski run has a ski lift which
returns skiers to the top of the building, the activity making the building
very alive, attractive, and energetic.
The run faces the cafe, the restaurant, and the main lobby of the
building, forming an attraction for occupants of the surrounding buildings and
its own occupants as well. During the
summer, the spiral ramp becomes a garden and jogging path which may be accessed
from different levels, including from the cafe, one level above the ground. The free standing structure, which supports
the ski lift in winter, turns into a powerful waterfall in summer, easily seen
from any of the nearby buildings. The
positioning of the ramp does not at all block the visual connection between the
bay and Kiasma Museum, but rather the opposite - playing a major role as an extension of the
sprawl that starts between Sanoma House and Kiasma and extends to the bay. The
spiral ramp could also be used in a third way - as temporary overflow parking
for unexpected attendance at the area's activities.
                                                         The architectural vocabulary of
BIBLIO-Centrum also extends out to Makasiinipuisto Park. The entire park is surrounded with a free
standing metal structure with cables positioned randomly above it, giving the
impression that they hold the site together in tight communication. They also suspend the overhead light fixtures
that make pleasant evening views from the surrounding buildings. These cables are echoed on the ground as lawn
dividers, giving an artistic touch to the landscape, and suggesting a
connectedness and unity of the buildings surrounding the Park, and by
implication, one that includes the rest of Helsinki.
                           The landscape drops
one garage level beside the spiral ramp to reveal a pleasant retail plaza. The plaza entrance is by a ramp at the north
side and by a stairway on the south side where there is also an entrance to the
pedestrian tunnel system that runs beneath the building. The plaza is quite visible from all levels of
BIBLIO-Centrum and from the surrounding buildings as well. In summer, it is flanked by a pond with
splashing fountains that connect it visually with the water of the bay and the
entrance of the facility. In winter, the
same pond becomes an ice rink for skaters, giving a scenic complement to the
skiers on the nearby spiral ramp.

The main flow of the landscape visually connects the Parliament with
BIBLIO-Centrum to express that the country is governed with a base in
knowledge, education, and current information.
Entering the library?s main lobby, the view in the atrium opens and
soars to the top of the building. The
stage, with its surrounding public services, is the main attraction of the
meeting and lounge areas. The
restaurant, which is next to it, connects internally with the sauna on the
shopping plaza one level below. The
cinema and the multi-purpose hall are stacked one above the other and
surrounded with inviting lounges.
                                 The building
filters views from all sides through itself.
It?s also suited well to the Finnish climate: Its elongated shape, with its main exposure
to east and west and openness to the sun, allows for natural heating in the
winter as the sun penetrates deep into the building throughout the day from
both elongated sides, while the garden running north/south acts as "lungs" to
aid in ventilation during summer. In winter time the east/west exposure allows
to the sun to heat both stretched out sides and go dipper enough when is low to
reach the most distant location.

                             The artistic approach in the design of the building and of the entire
site makes it complete, interesting, and vibrant in different ways throughout
the year. BIBLIO-Centrum will be an
attractive tourist destination and an icon for the city of Helsinki, not only
as Helsinki's central library, but as an anchor and unifier of its prestigious
surroundings.Project Data:Location:     Helsinki, FinlandType:           Educational- PublicArchitects: d INKOFF,www.dinkoffarchitects.comClient:         CITY OF HELSINKI, Public Works DepartmentArea:           Gross Area: 13 382 SqM                    Net
Area: 10 095 SqMCredits:      Tino Dinkoff- Design Principal                    Rick
Sholl- Principal                   Gary Gerber- Principal                    Stanislav
Hristov- Visualizations,                     Manuel Quevedo                    Consultants: Solar Engineers: Sun Light & Power
Co., Berkeley, CA,USA                    Technical: Langdon Wilson
Architects, Los Angeles, CA, USA

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"BIBLIO-Centrum"- Central Library, The Heart Of Metropolis

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"BIBLIO-Centrum"- Central Library, The Heart Of Metropolis

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