Project: Not a thing of the past! A library in downtown Kassel (Winter Semester 2012/13)

The library is a type of building steeped in tradition and a source of pride for many cultures. Today, the question arises: Is reading still relevant, and if so, do we need space for it? With our design for a neighborhood library, we are pursuing several goals: first, the question of the past, future, and significance of the library as a place for reading, the transfer of knowledge, and independent study; for searching and discovering; for concentration and communication; and second, the question of media and of a spatial quality capable of fostering the joy of reading in the broadest sense. Clear functional requirements and the spatial organizational structures based on them, on the one hand—and visions for the library’s future, on the other: what models could be developed for an expanded concept of the library? And finally, the location—in one of Kassel’s most distinctive areas—presents a challenge with its history, topography, and spatial (dis)order.

Maya Reiner (Prof., Dipl.-Ing., M.Arch.)
Marc Matzken (M.A.)
Christopher Unger (Dipl.-Ing.)