Architecture

Breathtaking Book Mountain library opens for business

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The MVRDV-designed Book Mountain public library features a huge glass and timber outer shell (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)
Book Mountain was designed to be a beacon for accessibility of literature and information (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)
The MVRDV-designed Book Mountain public library features a huge glass and timber outer shell (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)
The $39 million project also includes a small housing quarter of 42 units and parking lot (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)
There are commercial units on the ground floor, a children's education center and chess club on the first, offices on the second, an auditorium on the third, a café on the fourth and reading tables at the top (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)
The 85-ft tall outer glass hood makes effective use of natural light by day and gives the impression of an open air setting (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)
The barriers of the terrace walkways also double as shelving for the library's lending collection (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)
The outer walls of the central concrete, steel and brick building and the barriers edging the terrace walkways that support this building's book collection (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)
A reading are at the summit also offers a panoramic view of Spijkenisse (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)
Each level sports ample opportunity to sit back and read (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)
Visitors climb the wide stairway as they explore Book Mountain (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)
Daytime view of the outside of Book Mountain (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)
The internal lighting shining through the glass hood creates something of a spectacle at night for passers-by (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)
The shelving is made of recycled KLP plastic and designed so that titles available for lending are placed within easy reach, and archived collections can be stored above (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)
Lighting positioned above the book cases (and in alcoves and corridors) provides for reading and browsing comfort (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)
One of the library's study nooks allows patrons to get away from the hustle and bustle of Book Mountain (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)
The outer glass shell is supported by timber (Photo courtesy of Lankhorst)
Her Royal Highness Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands officially opens Boekenberg Spijkenisse
Princess Laurentien browsing some of the library's 70,000 titles
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Almost ten years after the project began, a new public library described as "a magnificent shop window for knowledge, information and culture that unambiguously promotes the idea of reading day and night" has been officially opened by Her Royal Highness Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands. Designed by MVRDV (which was the cause of some controversy a couple of years back when plans were released for its Cloud skyscraper), Book Mountain in Spijkenisse near Rotterdam features a huge glass and timber outer shell that's home to a five-story, tiered pyramid-like structure with thousands of books stacked on shelves that snake around the outside of its brick walls.

Although the €30 million (US$39 million) Boekenberg project (which includes a small housing quarter of 42 units and parking lot) started in 2003, construction didn't kick off until May 2009. Designed to be a beacon for accessibility of literature and information, the new public library was recently nominated for the Dutch National Wood award 2012 and finally opened to much regal pomp and ceremony on October 4 2012.

Visitors climb the wide stairway as they explore Book Mountain (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)

As soon as visitors to Book Mountain step through the front entrance, a ground floor of commercial outlets is the first indication that they're in for a somewhat different experience to that offered by the stuffy, unwelcoming and rather foreboding libraries of old.

To the left as you enter are some wide stairs that lead to a first floor featuring a children's education center and chess club. The walkway flows on up to the next level of office units and then onto an auditorium one floor up. The fourth floor hosts a café to stop and rest before climbing to the summit for reading tables and a panoramic view of Spijkenisse. Each floor can also be accessed by elevator.

As you'd no doubt expect of a library, there's a fair amount of shelving for storing the building's 70,000 books. But in a break away from the familiar maze of aisles, it's the outer walls of the central concrete, steel and brick building and the barriers edging the terrace walkways that support this building's collection. Some 3,205 meters (10,515 feet) in total length, the visually arresting racks are made of recycled KLP plastic and designed so that titles available for lending are placed within easy reach, and archived collections can be stored above.

A reading are at the summit also offers a panoramic view of Spijkenisse (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)

Although the 26 meter (85 ft) tall outer glass hood makes effective use of natural light by day and gives the impression of an open air setting, lighting positioned above the book cases (and in alcoves and corridors) provides for reading/browsing comfort while also creating something of a spectacle at night for passers-by.

The building is also able to rely on a heady combination of automatic sun screens, shading plants, phase change materials, adiabatic cooling based on a graywater circuit, and a dry cooler for its temperature and climate control.

MVRDV says that any damage sustained to books as a result of exposure to direct sunlight is offset by an expected four-year-lending life.

Source: MVRDV

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6 comments
William Blackburn
What? So they'll only keep books for four years before throwing them out due to sun exposure or general wear and tear? Must be a popular library! And one with no interest in out of print or hard to get books.
Michael Crumpton
In this age of the eBook and the internet this is a dinosaur. Can you imagine how many ebooks they could have bought with the price of the building alone? Not to mention the cost of maintaining it and the salaries of the staff.
Marco Gonzalez
@Michaelc Let´s see: commercial outlets , a children's education center and chess club, a complete level of office units, an auditorium and a café. At least three commercial areas. Plenty of room for businesses activities that generates income. I think is money well invested in a work generating environment.
duh3000
I share the concern of exposure to sunlight. I hope the architects have addressed this in ways not explained in the article. I disagree, however, in the all electronic book solution. Ebooks have their place and purpose. Reading while travelling, for example. Riding the ICE train or aboard intercontinental flights are excellent places for an ebook ! Libraries also have their place. A big, wonderful, pleasant, welcoming space to sit and read, borrow, or buy a book is a very welcome addition to a community. I applaud the intitiative and investment. Yes, it costs something, but probably less than the next James Cameron film and what are the costs of ignoring the need of libraries and books to read? A readerless society is no better off than an illiterate one.
Michael Mantion
LOL omg that is awesome.. LOL..
I am amazed by the dumb ideas people come up with.
About 15 years ago I used my radial saw to cut the binding off a book so I could scan it into my computer easier. It was a huge mistake but I managed to make it work.
I absolutely hate the physical book, always have and always will.
Thankfully with the spread of tablets and readers more and more people are abandoning books.
yes I know there are people that will forever cherish books but not enough to justify printing books or any written literature.
Doc Rock
OK I would like the book on the top shelf please.. ;-)