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Start construction MVRDV Book Mountain
On May 28 the ground breaking ceremony for the
construction of the new Public Library for Spijkenissse,
near Rottterdam took place.
The new public library with a surface of 10,000 m² will be
located in the inner city of Spijkenisse, at the corner of a
major throughway, the central market square and the
church opposite. In addition to the book collection and
reading areas, the library will accommodate commercial
facilities, offices, an auditorium, conference rooms, and
exhibition spaces.
The exterior of the building refers to a traditional Dutch
barn style typology, in shape and choice of material; as a
memento to the agricultural history of Spijkenisse Village,
now a suburban area of Rotterdam with statistically a low
average of readers.
The library is designed to advertise reading. By stacking
facilities such as offices, meeting rooms and auditorium
vertically, terraces of different sizes emerge upon which
the book shelves are positioned creating a grand book
mountain. The terraces are linked by staircases to form a
route that curves around the mountain to the top, where a
panoramic view of Spijkenisse awaits.
The book mountain is covered by a glass shell, creating a
bell jar, an open-air library. The bell jar is a simple
membrane, an almost invisible envelope that softens the
edges of the building. The bell jar is also a climate-
controlled public space. Solar protection (as used in
greenhouses), natural ventilation and an underground heat
storage system provide for comfortable conditions all year
round. The climate system is a carefully balanced
collection of sustainable features which together form an
innovative new, highly sustainable system. Underneath the
transparent bell jar, the library faces the streets on all
sides, which enhances the safety of the public space
around the building. Completion of the library and the
apartments are expected
September 2011.
