Brick Library
A neighbourhood library wrapped in curved brick
Architecture, Landscape
·
2019–2022
Brick Library, Malmö
About the project
A neighbourhood on the edge of Malmö asked for a library that would also be a living room for the area. We wrapped it in one continuous curved brick wall, with a garden in the middle and reading rooms around it.
Typology
Public library
Status
Completed 2022
Location
Malmö, Sweden
Client
City of Malmö
Size
1,800 m²
Site
0.6 hectares
Partner
Henrik Sørensen
The arcade around the reading garden
Brick laid by hand in a curve
The concept
A wall that holds a garden
The brick wall curves around a sheltered garden of birch and grass. Every reading room faces into it, so the library is quiet even though it sits on a busy road.
The entrance is a gap in the wall, wide enough to see the garden from the bus stop. It is meant to invite people in, whether or not they have a book in mind.
A plaster model of the entrance, 1:50
Material and light
One brick, many bonds
We used a single local brick throughout and changed only the way it is laid. Where the wall needs to breathe, the bricks open into a lattice; where it needs to be quiet, they close up solid.
Inside, oak shelving and lime plaster keep the rooms warm and soft against the brick.
One day in the living room
Morning
07:00
Midday
12:00
Afternoon
16:30
Dusk
19:45
Night
22:00
Bedrooms and kitchens face east, so the day begins with low, cool light across the walls.
At noon the sun stands high in the south, and the deep roof keeps the living room bright without glare.
In the afternoon the light turns warm and low, reaching across the floor to the far wall.
At dusk the west windows hold the last colour of the sky while the room slowly falls quiet.
At night a few low lamps take over, and the windows turn into dark mirrors of the garden.
Credits
Architect
Clerestory
Partner in charge
Henrik Sørensen
Landscape
Maya Ahmed
Project leader
Daniel Reyes
Engineer
Skånes Konstruktion
Contractor
Malmö Bygg
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