City central library

The city authorities of Helsinki have taken the decision to locate the central library in the cultural heart of the city. It will thus be close to where musical activities take place, the Opera, Finlandia Palace and Maison de la Musique, as well as the Kiasma Centre for Contemporary Art.

This is the place where sports and leisure activities are sited, as well as open spaces for just strolling about.

The building design submitted by AIM Hanemian Architects is visua­lized as a ship about to set sail for other shores and earlier times. It is conceived as a hub, inviting users to encounter new itineraries, expe­riences, lives, a place where generations and cultures mix, meet and share.

The architectural design strategy is simple. There is a glass base revealing public activities going on inside, and above it there are bulky, enclosed box structures in perforated corten steel through which the observer glimp­ses transparent linking passageways. The appearance of the building thus changes according to the effect of light on this translucent design at different hours of the day and seasons of the year. The building is conceived as having a living skin that breathes and responds to the needs of its users.