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Local practice Studio Vapore has reimagined the Western Academy of Beijing’s elementary school library in China, blending elements from children’s stories with traditional Chinese architectural motifs. More
Interior designer Tola Ojuolape demonstrates how to apply materials and finishes to a project using SketchUp in the second part of her Design Workshop, produced by Dezeen for the software brand. More
In the latest instalment of Dezeen and SketchUp’s Design Workshops, interior designer Tola Ojuolape explains how she used SketchUp’s software to create a virtual library for Clerkenwell in London. More
Traditional Korean architecture influenced the layout and shelving design in the library at the Korean Cultural Center New York, designed by Studio Empathy and Praxes.
Changhaak Choi of Studio Empathy and Jiyoung Kim from Praxes worked together to complete the 1,600-square-foot (149-square-metre) library, located on the third floor of the Korean Cultural Center New York’s new venue in Midtown Manhattan.
The library is arranged to from a central courtyard formed by bookshelvesThe space houses a collection of over 10,000 books, periodicals, government publications, and multimedia resources in both Korean and English.
It acts as a resource for research on Korea, introduces Korean writers to the New York audience, and provides educational materials for young Korean-Americans and those interested in Korean culture.
The shelves are fabricated from plywood elements and joined to resemble traditional Korean architectural details”This new library aspires to be a cultural hub, promoting information exchange and enhancing mutual understanding of Korea among the Korean-American community and the broader New York population,” said Choi.
“The design seamlessly blends archaic forms with a minimalistic and contemporary aesthetic, which incites a biophilic space.”
The central space is populated with cube-shaped stools for visitors to sit and readTo enable easy circulation, the bookshelves were arranged in a rectangular plan with a pathway around the perimeter and a courtyard in the centre, with openings to allow movement between the two.
The layout is akin to a traditional Korean han-ok house, which is similarly organised in a loop around a central space.
The shelves sit away from the building’s glass walls so that visitors can circulate around the perimeterHere, the “courtyard” serves as the reading area and includes cube-shaped wooden stools upon which visitors can sit.
“This design enables visitors to continuously explore the diverse scenery of book stacks and enjoy views of the rooftop garden through glass walls, seamlessly integrating indoor and outdoor elements,” Choi said.
The library’s children’s section is housed within a lower storage moduleThe bookshelves were also modelled on the typical post-and-lintel assembly and joining techniques found in han-ok homes.
They were fabricated as modular units using thin plywood panels, slats and metal components to be efficient and cost-effective.
Studio Hinge creates library spaces beneath tree-like wooden columns
Along the tops and sides of the storage modules, a wooden lattice is coloured in five bold hues to enliven the design.
“This design resonates with the vibrant book spines, creating a dynamic visual contrast with the monochromatic, bright wood shelves, and light grey stone floor,” said Choi.
Wooden latticework is also installed across the ceiling and behind the reception deskThe aim is for the library to become a community hub for Korean-Americans and others New Yorkers, and host events like book launches and other group activities.
“This project showcases how cultural heritage can be preserved and celebrated through thoughtful and contemporary design, creating a unique and enriching environment for all visitors,” said Choi.
The tops and sides of the shelves are coloured in five bold huesPlayful shelving solutions have become a hallmark of contemporary library designs around the world.
At a space in São Paulo, MAB3 and Zénite created forest of books where shelves encircle tree-like columns, while Studio Hinge took an arboreally informed approach to storage at a library in Mumbai.
The photography is by Michael Moran and Changhaak Choi.
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Indian practice Studio Hinge has completed Forest of Knowledge, a library in Mumbai that sits beneath a tree-like canopy of latticed wood.
The library was designed for the Cricket Club of India, a member’s club dating back to the 1930s that is housed in an art deco building in southern Mumbai.
Columns were created to resemble tree trunksAdapting the third floor of this building, Studio Hinge looked to recreate the feeling of “sitting under a tree with a book” by reimagining the structure’s concrete columns as tree trunks.
Alongside, a former Zumba studio has been updated to be used as a flexible space for book clubs, film screenings and workshops.
Circular bookshelves sit underneath the “canopy””India experienced one of the harshest and most sudden covid lockdowns in the world, and a lot of the design of the library was developed during this time, during which it was clear that people were yearning to meet and share ideas in person again,” explained the studio.
“On a conceptual level, the design draws from nature, in particular the notion of sitting under a tree with a book, and also borrows from the beautiful canopy formed by the ficus and gulmohar trees to be found in the adjacent street,” it continued.
The shelves are connected by plank-covered steel framesA steel frame covered with small wooden planks lines each of the concrete columns.
This integrates shelving and extends upwards to create arched forms across the ceiling that are then connected in areas with a wooden lattice.
The Act of Quad converts Mumbai shed into studio with see-through facade
Curving bookshelves have been organised in a circle at the base of each column, with seating areas at the edges of the floor plate creating a variety of different conditions and atmospheres for visitors.
On the library’s floor, custom terrazzo tiles feature a pattern of green “leaves” with a circle of wooden flooring used at the base of each column.
The floor was decorated with a leaf pattern”Care has been taken to ensure no bookshelf in the open space is taller than 1.2m,” explained Studio Hinge.
“This allows maximum natural light to permeate deep into the plan and for most adults to have an unobstructed view whilst standing, while creating sheltered semi-private nooks to sit and read in,” it added.
“It also provides a very different perception of the library for children, from whose vantage the space between the circular bookshelves is playful, almost labyrinthine in nature.”
A ceiling of timber planks adds interest to the multipurpose roomIn the multipurpose room, the ceiling has been finished with an undulating pattern of timber planks and the walls lined with cabinets to maximise storage.
Forest of Knowledge was recently longlisted in the workplace interior (small) category of Dezeen Awards 2023.
Elsewhere in Mumbai, The Act of Quad recently converted a former library into its own interior design studio, with a see-through facade of perforated, white metal sheets and Malik Architecture transformed an ice factory into an events space.
The photography is by Suryan + Dang.
Project credits:
Design team: Interior Architecture – Studio Hinge, Pravir Sethi, Chintan ZalavadiyaLighting design: Studio Trace, Tripti SahniMEP: ARKK Consultants
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Canadian studio Superkül has updated the reading room at the University of Toronto’s Robarts Library, a notable example of brutalist architecture.
The project involved renovating the cavernous concrete space on the building’s fourth floor, as part of the university’s larger initiative to revitalise the Robarts Library, which Superkül described as “one of North America’s most significant examples of brutalist architecture”.
The Brutalist concrete Robarts Library was built in 1973Completed in 1973, the John P Robarts Research Library was designed by local architecture studio Mathers & Haldenby.
It is both the largest individual library at the University of Toronto and the largest academic library building in Canada.
Superkül updated the spaces to better serve contemporary learning needsAs an important facility for students and faculty, the reading and study spaces required upgrades to meet contemporary learning styles and equipment, while remaining respectful to the heritage-listed architecture.
The project also needed to connect the original brutalist structure with the adjacent Robarts Common extension, completed by Diamond Schmitt Architects in September 2022.
A variety of individual study stations were added to the double-height space”We were tasked with an ambitious goal: to convert the space into a superior contemporary environment for quiet study, collaboration, and digital scholarship in a manner that complements the building’s exalted architectural language and supports accessibility, diversity, and wellness,” said Superkül.
Spread throughout the 20,300-square-foot (1,886-square-metre), double-height space are individual study areas, new digital stations, consultation rooms and two light therapy zones.
Natural materials were chosen to bring warmth to the concrete buildingParticular attention was paid to accessibility, through the addition of inclusive study spots that allow users to adjust desk heights, seating configurations and lighting for their needs.
“We also emphasised clear sightlines and intuitive wayfinding in a symmetrical layout to promote easy navigation,” said Superkül.
Upgrades to historic Toronto university building include an elevator clad in copper scales
The studio worked with a team of acoustic specialists to create a sound-dampening system using perforated wood and metal panelling, designed to blend in with the interior architecture.
This scheme allows communal study groups to converse without disturbing other students.
Particular attention was paid to accessibility, through the addition of inclusive study spotsFor the new elements, a variety of natural materials were chosen to add warmth to the concrete building, including custom-designed bronze screens and details that play on existing motifs.
“To honour the distinctive geometry and materiality that make Robarts Library such a prodigious icon, we hewed closely to an overarching objective: create a robust and respectful design that honours the existing architecture and complements the library’s other spaces,” the studio said.
An acoustic-dampening system was created to prevent communal study sessions distracting from quiet workAlso at the University of Toronto, studios Kohn Shnier and ERA Architects recently renovated the historic University College building to make it more accessible.
Superkül’s previous projects have included an all-white vacation home in the Ontario countryside.
The photography is by Doublespace.
Project credits:
Architect: SuperkülStructural engineer: EntuitiveMechanical and electrical engineer: HH AngusAcoustics: AercousticsCost: Marshall & MurrayCode and safety: LRI
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IKEA’s innovation lab Space10 has worked with interior designers Spacon & X to transform the ground floor of its headquarters into a library and community space, with a look that is meant to recall a simple kiosk.
Located in a former fish factory in the city’s Meatpacking District, Space10’s offices now include a library of 100 future-focused books, a snack bar and a design shop, alongside an existing gallery and event space.
While the ground floor was already used for community-facing events, Space10 set out to expand the offering beyond “temporary” interactions and create a space that people could access at their leisure all day.
A library, snack bar and design shop have been added to the ground floor of Space10’s Copenhagen headquarters”We wanted the ground floor to play a much stronger role in our mission to involve the many and diversify our perspectives,” Space10 designer Kevin Curran told Dezeen.
“By opening a new library for the public, we suddenly have a space that feels alive, warm and welcoming, and it lets visitors spend as much time here as they like and explore Space10 on a daily basis.”
The studio worked with its long-time collaborators Spacon & X on the interior design, which references kiosks and particularly the newsstands of New York to create an accessible setting.
The design of the space was informed by newsstands with their racks of magazinesAccording to Spacon & X co-founder Svend Jacob Pedersen, the aim was to create a welcoming space where “nothing should be too curated or feel precious”.
“It was important for us to work with understated but recognisable cultural symbols through materials and form so that the project itself encourages interaction and is perceived as public,” Pedersen said.
The space is intended to be open to the public all day”From the beginning, the classic New York newsstand was a big inspiration as its layered setup with only the magazine’s headline and title visible piques curiosity and almost demands visitors to pick them up and browse,” Pedersen continued.
“Furthermore, you can pick up a soft drink from the fridge, a souvenir cup from the shelves or some gum at the counter – an informal invitation to stay and browse.”
This approach extended to the furniture choices, which blend custom pieces with more everyday designs, along with playful accessories such as metal pencil trays that recall hot dog holders.
Accessories shaped like hot dog holders help to recall the kiosk environment”We shopped generic, almost iconic, cafe aluminum chairs and tables that many will recognise from their preferred kebab joint or touristy cafe, almost as an universal welcome sign,” said Pedersen.
Among the custom pieces are shelves and seating with wooden cylindrical frames held together by looped steel joinery. The joinery is typically used to partition cattle farms and was partly chosen to reference the building’s location in the Meatpacking District, where meat businesses were formerly based.
The steel joinery was fabricated for the cattle industry, where it is used for partitioningThe modular shelving for the library is finished with bright fabric pockets made of Hallingdal 65, a blend from Danish company Kvadrat with wool for durability and viscose for brilliance.
At the centre of the kiosk space is Spacon & X’s industrial-looking Super Super table, made of sheets of bolted aluminium, and suspended above it is a custom lighting design made of upcycled office ceiling lights set in a wooden frame.
Space10 proposes linking NFTs to furniture to encourage better care
The studios chose materials and furnishings with the aim of reducing the carbon footprint of transportation and supporting the local economy, selecting metal for its durability and aluminium in particular for its recyclability.
They also sought to cultivate an aesthetic that could be replicated at Space10 projects around the world with local and preferably upcycled materials.
Upcycled materials have been used to make elements such as a wooden suspended lighting featureThe library at the space features 100 books curated by Space10 on the subject of how to build a better future for people and the planet. These will be supplemented with titles put forward by guest curators and the community.
The building also includes two private floors for the Space10 team — an upper office area and a basement fabrication laboratory and tech studio.
Space10 will open the doors of the ground floor to the public on January 26. It plans to host two exhibitions each year and keep all its events free to attend.
The library features 100 titles chosen by Space10 for their ideas about designing for the futureSpace10 and Spacon & X have worked together since 2015, when Spacon & X designed the first version of Space10’s office. They later updated those offices together in 2019 to move away from an open-plan design.
Space10 works “with and for IKEA”, functioning as an independent innovation lab whose research feeds into the brand’s future planning.
Its recent projects have included the Carbon Banks NFT concept designed to inspire better care for furniture and the Updatables concept for upcycling furniture using artificial intelligence.
Photography is by Seth Nicholas.
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London studio Crawshaw Architects has transformed a former cow shed in Dorset into a library and office, organised around a wooden, barrel-vaulted arcade that references the client’s collection of books on classical Palladian architecture.
The Stanbridge Mill Library, which has been shortlisted in the civic and cultural interiors category of Dezeen Awards 2022, occupies one of several outbuildings of a Georgian farmhouse on a grade II-listed farm.
Crawshaw Architects has overhauled a former cow shed in DorsetThe narrow, gabled brick shed was originally built to house Standbridge Mill Farm’s cows but had stood neglected for over forty years, used as storage for gardening equipment and farm machinery.
Looking to give the building a new purpose while maintaining its existing character, Crawshaw Architects made only small structural interventions, replacing two of its original roof trusses with portal frames that open up the interior.
The studio has transformed it into a library and office”While a decisive transformation of the interior was called for, we felt that the original use of the building needed to be part of the story,” explained the studio.
Stanbridge Mill Library’s focal point is a central “nave”, which is filled with seating areas covered by a wooden barrel vault and slotted between two narrow aisles lined by bookshelves. This plan references classical architectural forms, which are the focus of many of the client’s books.
The Stanbridge Mill Library is organised around a barrel-vaulted arcadePale, solid oak has been used for the floor, shelving, storage and the central vault, half of which is covered with planks and the other half left open to allow in light from new skylights.
“The high nave and pair of aisles are in the form of a classical library, but are set out in the register of the original building using the materials and construction techniques of traditional farm carpentry and metalwork,” explained Crawshaw Architects.
The office occupies the northern end of the building”The vault, columns, shelves, tables and seating are made of the same solid oak planks and sections, deliberately selected to show knots and natural blemishes,” the studio continued.
Desks are organised to take advantage of light from the windows and are illuminated at night by large pendants suspended from the vault.
Steimle Architekten transforms traditional German barn into Kressbronn Library
The office space occupies the northern end of the building underneath an original roof truss, which is separated from the library by an arched glass door and windows that frame views through the nave and aisles.
To the south of Stanbridge Mill Library, a dog-leg in the plan is occupied by a small kitchen, positioned opposite a bathroom and a small lobby area.
Pale solid oak has been used throughoutStanbridge Mill Library features in the civic and cultural interior category of Dezeen Awards 2022 alongside the renovation of the Groote Museum in Amsterdam by Merk X.
Another project on the shortlist is the interior of F51 Skate Park in Folkestone by Hollaway Studio, which won the public vote for the same category.
The photography is by Ingrid Rasmussen.
Project credits:
Architect: Crawshaw ArchitectsDesign team: Pandora Dourmisi, Aidan CrawshawStructural engineer: Hardman Structural EngineersContractor: CanDo Constructions ltd
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Two vacant ground-floor rooms and an adjoining greenhouse were knocked together and lined with bookshelves to form this private library, designed by Atelier Tao+C for a venture capital firm in Shanghai.
Set in a converted 1980s house, which is home to the offices of VC fund Whales Capital, the reading room can accommodate up to 12 people and is shared between the company’s employees and the owner’s friends.
Atelier Tao+C has created a reading room for Whales CapitalAll of the rooms are enclosed by immovable, load-bearing walls, which local practice Atelier Tao+C had to integrate into the design while creating the impression of being in one continuous 76-square-metre space.
To this effect, the original doors and windows were removed and three openings – measuring between two and three metres wide – were created to connect the rooms.
The space is lined with wooden bookshelvesThe remaining wall sections are hidden from view by new architectural elements including a set of semi-circular wooden bookshelves, which run through the two ground-floor rooms to form a pair of small, quiet reading nooks.
The structural walls connecting these rooms to the old glasshouse were wrapped in creamy white travertine to create a kind of “sculptural volume”, Atelier Tao+C explained.
Skylights funnel natural light into the interiorAs a result, the studio says the walls and structural columns are “dissolved” into the space to create the feeling of a more open-plan interior.
In the old greenhouse, a timber structure was inserted into the building’s glass shell, with bookshelves integrated into its wooden beams and columns to create a seamless design.
Ten social kitchen interiors with built-in seating nooks
This structure also forms a wooden ceiling inside the glasshouse, with strategically placed round and square skylights to temper the bright daylight from outside and create a more pleasant reading environment.
Spread across the interior are four different seating areas: a small study table for solo work, a shared meeting table, a reading booth for one person and a sofa seat where multiple people can talk and relax.
White travertine was used to obscure the building’s original brick wallsA Private Reading Room has been shortlisted in the small interiors category of the 2022 Dezeen Awards.
Atelier Tao+C, which is run by designers Chunyan Cai and Tao Liu, is also shortlisted for emerging interior design studio this year, alongside Sydney firm Alexander & Co, Barcelona-based Raúl Sánchez Architects and London practice House of Grey.
The photography is by Wen Studio.
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