Library - Between past and present

Abstract

- Libraries are institutions of learning -

They represent the cultural heritage and values of a society.

Public libraries are often located at places of urban significance or, in the course of time help to establish the latter. They may be landmarks in the urban landscape and help to orient oneself. A public library serves the people, and its spirit should be truly public.

A City and University Library in particular, is a highly frequented place where students and citizens meet. It can therefore easily become more than just a place for obtaining information. It can become a place for human interaction, offering spaces to enjoy a concert, to exhibit art or to go there to have lunch or dinner. In that sense, it could be transformed from an institution which is usually used during the day into a vital place which is also used in the evening and on the weekend.

The following project pursues the notion of breaking with the traditional image of a public library, expanding its service and thus increasing its position as a place of public interest. This notion is a result of my thesis work, rather than the initial idea from which I started.

The location of the project at the edge of the university campus in Frankfurt, Germany and the existence of a theater next to the existing library offered the possibility of establishing a cultural meeting place in one of Frankfurt's city districts.