Intermezzo

Christian added company HAV Eiendom AS
2 years ago

Christian added this project

This is one of the rejected proposals to the new Deichman Library next to Oslo Opera House.

Snøhetta's (the architect) description of their entry:
Approaching the library from Oslo Central Station, I am walking over Christian Fredriks plass with a couple of CDs and a film to return. The view opens up towards the fjord. The sunlight shimmers through the blossoming cherry trees. Skaters glide past a woman who sits reading on the ledge of the reflection pool.White petals fallen from the trees float on the calm surface of the water. The urban forum is active with old men in lively debate. A girl is walking her dog. People sit working at their laptops. Teenagers lie on the wooden ramp enjoying the warmth of the sun.

A gust of wind from the fjord lifts a magazine into the air from a coffee table and a waiter runs after it down the arched ramp. On the green grass beyond the ramp people have gathered to picnic under the trees. The green façade of the library wraps around the huge curtain wall that reveals the inner life of the library. The urban garden seems to continue through the glass as an extension of the urban floor. By the entrance, on the huge bookshelf, a digital screen displays the upcoming events at the library; “The dream maker said”, “A book for everyone?”, “Steve Reich interpretations – A lunch concert”, “Industrial traces in Norwegian literature”, “The new reading cult”, “Ghazal poetry slam”.

The light shining through the greenery is invigorating. The sound of the traffic is gone, replaced by music from a pianist playing on the grand piano in the café on the base. The base arcs like a bridge under the undulating soft inner skin. People moving along the arching base give a sense of the impressive scale of the space.

The view to the Opera is stunning, especially with the contrast of the greenery inside and outside the library. The foyer is like a foundation, a place for orientation and overview, where the currents of opportunities surface, a chance to get a feel for what is going on and a chance to ask for directions. A photo exhibition is on display in the foyer. The space underneath the base comes into view and reveals the activity of the workshops and the auditorium. The information board by the entrance is cluttered, but some notes stand out; philosophical cafe, computer class, sound workshop, environmental seminar, green shopping, LAN gaming event, meditation practice, Experia - a children’s theatre show and an invitation to the morning tai-chi session. It is so important that there is space to encounter things that are different and unexpected.

This library provides an interactive environment, where the visitor can be user, creator, exhibitor and publisher. Everything is allowed and there is an inclusive feeling. Creativity is released with the equipment that can be borrowed here and people bring their own laptops and mobile devices to work here instead of at home. The library is becoming a space where a lot of people feel welcome as if it is a part of their own living room, a public space with a domestic atmosphere almost like a ‘third place’ or an informal public gathering place.

Do you know the term ‘third place’? An American sociologist has come up with the concept. He introduced a hierarchy of spatial experiences where our homes are the ‘first’ places in our lives, and our work spaces the ‘second place’. The ‘third place’ is a public space where one can unfold and engage in communal activities, like an extension of the living room. The character of a ‘third place’ is playful, which contrasts people’s more serious engagement in other spaces. It is a completely different space from the home, but the ‘third place’ is very similar to a good home, from a psychological point of view, as the same comfort and support can be found here.

2 years ago

Christian added company Snøhetta
2 years ago

Christian added company MIR
2 years ago