DURA MATER
The BRAIN of the Metropolis
HELSINKI CENTRAL LIBRARY

MAIN PRINCIPLES BEHIND THE ARCHITECTURE AND CITYSCAPE SOLUTION
The new Helsinki central library serves as an extension of the natural park surrounding it. The park filters itself into the library traveling from the West to the East of the city block becoming “trapped” into building structure. The park pushes the masses both horizontally, North and East, and vertical, ground to ski. The result is a U shape building elevated thought a ramp traveling from the ground level and culminating in a roof terrace. Furthermore, the horizontal force of the park divides the building into two wings, North and East and transforms itself into an interior reading garden. Horizontally, the building is connected by the café at the ground level and the restaurant and sauna at the top level liked by a direct elevator. The trapped park forms two panoramic windows seeking to escape via looking in the direction of the Parliament building to the West and Alexandria to the South. All the knowledge brought into the library by the city through the park makes the new Helsinki central library the brain of the metropolis; a direct receiver and transmitter of information clearly reflected by its constant ever-changing program of events and its permanent collection of knowledge.
“Dura Mater is a thick and dense, inelastic, fibrous membrane which lines the interior of the skull. Its outer surface is rough and fibrillated and adheres closely to the inner surface of the bones, forming their internal periosteum, this adhesion being most marked opposite the sutures and at the base of the skull. Its inner surface is smooth and lined by a layer of endothelium. it send four processes inwards, into the cavity of the skull, for the support and protection of the different parts of the brain.” [Gray’s Anatomy, Henry Gray and H.V. Carter]

The concept for the New Central Library of Helsinki is based on the Human Brain, metaphorically connecting the city of Helsinki with its natural creative engine, the Library. Like the Human Brain, whose various areas manage different functions, the library is organized in very different zones and functions, some completely opposite in character and nature.

These functions are all “kept together” by the exterior building envelope which creates a sort of continuity and consistency throughout the building. Similar to the Dura Mater of the brain, the Library envelope carries information both to its users and as a response to the environment around it.
Spirit, Mind, Body

The Library is accessible on its roof via a ramp that begins at grade on the main piazza. The promenade ascension is both a physical experience of the changing cityscape and the spiritual counterpart to the idea of “change” in mind. Similar to Dante’s journey, the sloping uphill can be experienced as a transformative moment, arriving at the top floor room which faces south towards Alexandria and the Finnish Parliament.

IMPACT OUT
Alexandria and the Parliament

The Library ultimate view points are the two large window-rooms of the top floor restaurant, Jazz bar and Sauna. These spaces face west and south, aligning respectively with the Parliament and House of Music, and the trajectory of the Alexandria Library in Egypt. These views activate a connection to the past, present and future of the library and welcome visitors to re-experience it in a forward thinking dimension.
IMPACT IN
Full space and Lobby Garden

Inside the Library spaces are diverse, complex and exciting. Organized around the central garden lobby, which can be designed as an enclosable winter garden, the two main wings of the library and the east and west bridges act as extension branches from the central garden core, similarly to the beautiful and serene areas created around the trees.
URBAN LOCI
Reciprocal Feeding

The Library acts as a receiver and emitter of information creating a “8” figure loop with the city of Helsinki and the World at large. Different from an enclosed enclave which protects knowledge, the Dura Mater Central Library collects and spreads knowledge at the broadest possible scale.
OVERALL TECHNICAL STRATEGY: DURA MATER PERFORMANCE ENVELOPE
This building is designed to use the building envelope as the primary thermal and electrical generator and regulator and uses the district heating, cooling and grid electricity as efficient back-up. The technical systems of this building are primarily housed within the multi-layered assembly of the building envelope carrying an interior and exterior narrow planar cavity or plenum for the flow of energy and material (hydronic heat, ventilative air, DC electrical). A translucent isolative core of aerogel, luminous concrete or motorized shading is bounded on both interior and exterior by these cavities and the surface is enclosed with and interior and exterior dual pane insulated glazing units. This sophisticated jacket allows overall capillary-scale distribution of heat, air and electricity to all areas of the building and assists the building to distribute, balance and exchange the heat produced and heat consumed; fresh air delivered and stale air exhausted, electrical energy generated and electrical energy consumed in a constant flow of self-regulation, assisted by a full network of skin-integrated sensors.
The intelligent envelope plugs into the four vertical shafts at the north end, south end and center of the building plan to gather distribution vertically and connect to the building center mechanical area in order to plug into a central brain unit, heat exchange, electrical control, water to water heat pump, air supply and exhaust, as well as the connection to the district heating and cooling.
ENERGY SUPPLY SOLUTION
The building will utilize district heating and cooling along with grid electricity only when the collection, exchange and balancing capacity of the intelligent envelope requires additional energetic input. Water-to-water heat pumps will be employed to provide cooling and/or heating required for the building as the inputs required to balance the whole of the integrated system flows.
The building envelope incorporates building integrated photovoltaic panels (BIVP) in the exterior insulated glazing unit on surfaces facing SE, S and SW to produce electrical power.
The building envelope operates as a neural network of production collection and distribution for heat, air and electricity, coordinated by a large network of sensors throughout the same surfaces. These are connected together through a central responsive logic and uses the district heating and cooling connection and grid electricity as back-up when required or more efficient than the building scale.

CREDITS:
ARCHITECT
CARLO ENZO, PRINCIPAL ARCHITECT, URBAN OFFICE ARCHITECTURE
TEAM
WAMARIS ROSARIO
MORTEZA RAMEZANI
ALLEN PHILIPS
NINA ILIEVA
GILBERT ROSARIO
ANTONIO GARCIA

ENERGY CONSULTANT:
LOISOS + UBBELOHDE, SUSAN UBBELOHDE

Contact:
Urban Office Architecture
Carlo Enzo
66 west broadway suite 306, New York, NY 10007
Email: uoa@uoa-architecture.com
www.urbanofficearchitecture.com
t ++ 1-212-233-2290
c++ 1-917-287-8594