The living room behind the bookshelves

The two story glass facade of the public library in Dornbirn, Austria, is a curtain layer containing 8,000 ceramic batons symbolising bookshelves.

28 Dec 2020

undefinedDornbirn by Dietrich Untertrifaller

Inside, behind the bookshelves, lies a library conceived as a living room for everyone in this large commercial regional centre.

The curtain layer containing the symbolical bookshelf made up of 8,000 ceramic batons provides the wood/aluminium windows of the storey-high glazing not only with fixed shading but also filters views to the surrounding park.

The building’s curved shape can only be experienced on the inside at the reading spots arranged along the outer walls of the open-access library on the ground and upper floor. A two-storey atrium is cut out of the volume, forming a rectangular space provided natural light by skylights.

The library also offers multimedia facilities, a games library and makerspace.

Source: Detail magazine
Photo: Aldo Amoretti