Turku Library

The new 15,000sqm library and educational facilities for Turku, Finland is a contemporary emblem of civic achievement, collective knowledge, and a meeting place.

Connected to the 19thC library by a tunnel, the new building is conceived as a modern intervention framed within the historic context. A new residential and retail building forms an entrance square.
Expressed as a simple rectalinear form articulated with openings and projections, the analogy of containment and protection is combined with one of a monolithic, symbolic object. The form is raised above public, informal and freely accessable entrance areas, from where the user rises upwards into the quieter focussed areas of study.
Internal walls, information counters and workstations articulate the open spaces within and give measured transparency and connectivity. Principal external materials are sealed timber strips, clear glazing with aluminium solar control screens and blinds. Designed for minimum heat loss, minimum mechanical cooling, maximum daylight and natural ventilation, the low energy building uses locally produced recyclable materials.