HELSINKI PUBLIC LIBRARY

HELSINKI, FINLAND
2012  

This proposal for an international design competition seeks to establish the 21st century library as not only an intellectual hub but a social and cultural epicenter. An organizational scheme based on fluid modes of transition was adopted to promote overlap of various programmatic functions. The library collection and services are placed on a double-helix circulation path, one terminating at a cantilevered reading room while the other bridges to a public cinema, a great hall and gallery floors. There are no defined boundaries between programmatic areas, encouraging visitors to unexpectedly wonder into adjacent spaces. The building offers voyeuristic views into other functions of the Library at every location, the goal of which is to promote the spontaneous collision of different user demographics.