DESIGN

Aarhus' Dokk1 Library

Scandinavia is one of the world's most sustainability-minded, and Denmark is no exception.
8 September, 2016
The city of Aarhus is Denmark's second largest by total population and its youngest demographically.
They call it the "City of Smiles," and now Aarhus has something new to smile about. The city's Dokk1, a library that opened its doors in June 2015, has been named the best in the world. It is the first time a Danish library has won the International Federation of Library Association and Institutions (IFLA) award, but it will likely not be the last time Denmark's urban architecture gets global recognition.

The library, designed by architectural firm Schmidt Hammer Lassen, is a $317 million centerpiece of the city's Urban Media Space revitalization along the waterfront, a vision that includes new homes and public squares. The polygonal structure offers 360-degree views of the Aarhus River, the city of about 320,000 people, and the forests that surround it. With sustainability a priority consideration in building construction and operation, the Dokk1 was built with aluminium and glass, as well as steel and concrete. Solar panels are installed on the roof, and seawater is used to cool the library and decrease energy cost.
Images: Adam Mørk
The anodized aluminium panels are used to build the ceiling on the first two floors, using hook-on panels with 50mm perforations to decrease the weight. In the top level and all atria, the spaces are clad in large meshed, expanded metal ceilings – also made of anodized aluminium – to create striking visual interest. With full glass windows to ensure the views, plants and an open floor plan, Dokk1 is more than a library.

This 21st-century vision begins with a commitment to books and knowledge, but the library is truly a hub of cultural life. New bike paths route people to the center, where there are 450 spaces for bicycle parking. Starting next year, a light rail station beneath the library will connect to a recreational belt.
Inside, one unusual feature makes clear how central the library is in the life of the vibrant city and its future. A tubular bell, one that Aarhus claims is the world's largest, has pride of place in an atrium facing the river. That 7.5-meter bell gongs every time a child is born in the city and welcomes the new arrival.

The 35,000 square meter library doubles as a mixed-use community center with art installations, maker's workshops, playgrounds, and performance stages that expand the traditional definition. Dokk1 invites civic engagement with meeting spaces and classrooms, while creating a new understanding of what libraries are for in communities. The stodgy perception of a building limited to reading books in a shushed, silent space no longer holds water. The library also is home to municipal offices that provide services within easy reach of Aarhus' citizens.
Those needs are considered in the architectural design, which creates an environment and an energy in which the community is reimagining itself and its future. The Dokk1 building anchors one end of the new urban zone that replaces port operations relocated in the late 1990s, while Navitas Park holds the other. Between them are new transportation options, new recreational opportunities, and planned housing and mixed-use buildings to support urban density in the prime real estate along the city's river.

Last but not least, the one ingredient that makes Dokk1 the world's best library is the degree to which Aarhus citizens were included in the planning and design process. Their diverse perspectives were integral to the project, and they have been across most of the decade it took for Dokk1 to become a reality. Since it has opened, the library has set an internationally recognized standard for sustainable living in the cities of the future.
Banner image: Adam Mørk