Fredrik Evensen
Handledare/ Leif Brodersen, Teres Selberg Supervisor
Examinator/ Anders Johansson, vice dean Examiner
Examensarbete inom arkitektur, avancerad nivå 30 hp Degree Project in Architecture, Second Level 30 credits
5 june 2014
”Reading in the park – A new context for the library of
Kungsholmen”
My project is about the library of Kungsholmen, spaces for interaction and the activity of reading.
In the beginning of the 20th century The public libraries of Sweden was born out of the idea that the “people” needed to be educated. Collective public education became the instrument by which the people would become more involved in creating a modern society.
Throughout the 20th century the library grew stronger and together with the idea of “Folkhemmet” they turned into strong and distinctive symbols of the collective civic value and democracy. The access of knowledge and a built environment for everyone is two of the fundamental values when speaking of the library.
At Kungsholmens the library is cramped away within the rumbling noise of the intersection of Sankt Eriksgatan/Drottningholmsvägen. Here you find the entrance to the third most visited library in the Stockholm region with about 2000 visitors/day.
There has been a decision made for transforming the property that the library is a part of into a new large Shopping mall. As the early plans show, one of the entrances to the mall will cut straight through the library space leaving the visitors to pass through the shopping mall when moving within the library space.
The library holds a tempo and carries a certain atmosphere, an atmosphere that I find difficult to combine within a shopping mall environment. But also the fundamental thought that Valfrid Palmgren had, the author of the public library in Sweden in the beginning of the 20th century, that the library was to be free from external and commercial forces. I therefor find it somehow problematic having to pass through a shopping mall to be able to access the public space of the library.
Only 150 meter east of the current location lies the wonderful park ‘Kronobergs- parken’. In the southwest corner of the park lies the plot of the fire department of Kungsholmen. It has recently been decided that the fire station will move to Lindhagensgatan where a new Collaboration Central is planned to be build by 2016. The future of the house is therefor uncertain.
The existing buildings on site today comprise of a 5 story brick building, a lower structure for parking/storage and a small wooden tower (built for drying the fire hoses and for training on climbing ladders).
The street and it’s variety in scale is rather unique and the open space in front of the building is very rare in the city today.
The plot of the fire station has a great location, close to Fridhemsplan and adjacent to Kronobergsparken. Next to the site there is an underground bomb shelter and on the other side of Hantverkargatan you find Kungsholmen Gymnasium.
My project started out with the thought of a new library. The new site and it’s context provided me with the possibility to create a new public plaza and to make Kronobergsparken more accessible to the people of Kungsholmen.
One important aspect of the new site has been to strengthen the importance and the relevance for the existing building. Built in a national romantic style in 1931 (architect Gustaf Laurelius), it gives a strong character to the area and add to the local identity. The green classification gives no legal protection, time will tell if it will be spared from demolition when the fire department move.
I N T R O D U C T I O N N E W LO C AT I O N
150 M
Professor: Leif Brodersen Examiner: Anders Johansson Master Project spring 2014, FINAL CRITIQUE
Fredrik Evensen KTH Architecture
A N E W C O N T E X T F O R T H E L I B R A R Y O F
K U N G S H O L M E N
R E A D I N G
IN THE PARK
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KRONOBERGSGATAN KRONOBERGSGATAN
H A N TVERKAR G ATAN H A N TVERKAR G ATAN
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A D D I T I O N O F PA R K A N D L I B R A RY B U I L D - I N G
T O D AY R E M O VA L O F E X I S T I N G
O P E N U P T O WA R D S T H E PA R K
T H E P U B L I C S Q U A R E O F K U N G S H O L M E N T O D AY S Q U A R E S E E N F R O M H A N T V E R K-
A R G ATA N
N E W P U B L I C P L A Z A I N T H R E E Z O N E S 1 : 1 0 0 0 ( A 0 ) A
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1 : 1 0 0 0 ( A 0 ) The foreground to the fire station of today is treated with cobble-
stone in a repetitive pattern that follows and emphasizes the grid of the building.
When transforming this into a public square the pattern will be brought through the building and meet the park and the library on the other side of the building, thus creating three specific zones with different qualities.
The design of the plaza is low impact and low maintenance and the square’s role is that of a space that one passes through rather than lingers in. Yet it is one that can hold enough people for any special temporary event. Due to the different zones created there can even be more than one event at the same time.
By the entrance to the library and the tower of books the pattern is scaled down.
A. The foreground to the fire station. Adjacent to Hantverkargatan and facing south. (600 sqm)
B. In the passage through the fire station. The character of this space is not very common in Sweden. A reference could be the City Hall with its colonnade that open up to the water (250 sqm)
C. The north part of the plaza which is defined by the juxtaposition of the library, park & the fire station. Facing the slope of the park the plaza becomes almost like a stage (700 sqm)
PUBLIC SQUARE STRATEGIES ON SITE
A NEW PUBLIC SQUARE
Facing south the foreground of the site will be transformed to a new public plaza. This is something that Kungsholmen are in a great need of today.
OPEN UP THE PORTICO OF THE EXISTING BUILDING
This gesture make it possible for the new plaza to extend under and behind the building thus creating three different zones for activity.
(See below)
REMOVAL OF THE GARAGE + ROAD
When removing the barrier toward the park the site opens up to the north. The new square will then have a clear relationship to the hilly park.
The underground bomb shelter is not in use and could instead be incorporated within the function of the library as a large open archive presenting the opportunity to have a more spaciously orga- nized library above ground.
NEW LIBRARY BUILDING
Through form studies I came to the conclusion that the site was best suited for a narrow and rather strict building following the grid of the existing. Aligning Kronobergsgatan the library would strengthen the character of the street, it would reach towards the new plaza and at the same time establish a clear relationship to the park.
Interiorly it could take care of the difference in hight between the park level and the plaza.
KR ONOBERGSGA
TAN
HANTVERKARGA TAN
HANTVERKARGA
TAN KR
ONOBERGSGA TAN SCHEELEGA
TAN
KUNGSHOLMS TORG HANTVERKARGA
TAN
V I E W F R O M T H E PA R K T O WA R D T H E P L A Z A
C O N C R E T E D E TA I L S 1 : 2 0 ( A 0 ) B I R C H P LY W O O D
( n a t u ra l ) B I R C H P LY W O O D
( i ro n - v i t r i o l )
M AT E R I A L S
CONSTRUCTION
Concrete (in situ) waffle slab with the largest span of 12 m.
EXTERIOR
The building has solid wood members that follows the grid vertically. The facade panels of Birch Plywood is attached to wooden pillars following the grid of the building. The facade is treated with Iron Vitriol and then coated for being able to handle severe weather conditions. The material need regular maintenance but small cracks that add character to the building will most certainly appear. Since the facade material is rather cheap the cost of exchanging the facade panels where needed is rather small.
Where the building meet the ground the concrete is cast in a form-work that has been ‘sand-blasted’ or burnt and brushed so that the soft wood is pealed off. That result in a smooth wood character which respond to the wooden facade and the interior details in the building.
INTERIORLY
Details and window niches are clad in the same Birch Plywood as the exterior, only not treated with Iron vitriol. The same material goes for the overhead sound absorption and the lighting.
FLOOR
The entrance floor has polished concrete while the rest of the library has a gray floor mat (high endurance) that give a softer feeling to walk on and
also works well for absorbing some of the sound. V E R T I C A L S E C T I O N , M I D - F LO O R
H O R I Z O N TA L S E C T I O N , FA C A D E concrete column
500 x 170 steel profile, fixing of exterior pillars
birch plywood 10 mm
Solid wood pillar 270 x 90
Rhinezink
Putty Joint Floor mat
Wooden floorboards 24mm impact sound insulation, battens + rubber strips
plywood I-beam
vent
acoustic board perforated birch plywood concrete column
500x170 Birch plywood 15 mm
Thermal insulation + battens 140/100/70 Waterproofing sheet
Sun-shading Suspension blinds
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I N F O
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O C O M M U N I TY A N D L AW 3 P S C I E N C E A N D C O M M U N I C AT I O N 3 Q E C O N O MY A N D B U S I N E S S 3 Q c F O O D A N D H A N D C R A F T S 1
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PA R E N TA L S H E L F 1
A U D I O - & S P O K E N B O O K S 1 F I C T I O N I N O T H E R L A N G U A G E S 2 MYS T E RY / T H R I L L E R 2
C H I L D R E N B O O K S 1
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W H E R E T O F I N D T H E B O O K S & M E D I A
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T H E A C T I V I TY O F R E A D I N G
“We have to understand that the activity of reading not only is about the reading in it self, but about puses, outlooks, discussions and reÀections under and after the activity of reading all Zhich iPpacts hoZ, Zhere and Zhen it takes place´
The library hold many different activities with specific and hard-to-define conditions. One of these concerns the activity of reading with all its spacial and social qualifications.
Because reading is a situation that ‘takes place’, the experience of space becomes a part of the activity of reading. Depending on what you are reading, state of mind, personal preferences and so on, there need to be different settings for the environment where your reading will take place.
During the history of private, silent reading a limited number of ‘reading situations’
have been spatially defined and according to Bart Verschaffel, Philosopher and professor at the University of Ghent, Belgium, there are five types. I have had these in mind when developing the different spaces within my building and the goal has been to find the opportunity to house all of these types within- or in close relationship to my library.
1 READING IN THE LIBRARY.
In the public reading room all readers become a fascinating view for each.
Reading by your self among others give a comforting sense of being a part of an
‘invisible’ community. I have visualized this at the third floor, when looking up from your book you have a visual contact with three floors of the library.
2 READING IN THE STUDY ROOM: THE STUDIOLO.
A private secluded room that you are able to shut close and with a desk of one’s own. Reading in here is about writing too.
‘To study’ involves a diverse set of activity. When studying architecture you draw in cad-software which involve an overwhelming amount of clicking with the mouse;
an activity that is not at all compatible with the activity taking place when for example studying Philosophy. To be able to use the library space no matter what type of studies you practice is important. Therefor I have create single study rooms that can be shut close but still have a clear and fantastic relationship to the park.
3 READING IN NATURE.
If reading implies inwardness and a withdrawal from the environment, uninhabited nature, the wilderness, far away from the voices and the noises of the world of men, is the proper place to read.
Since being within the capital city of Sweden, the ‘wilderness’ is far from present, but the hills of Kronobergsparken offers what would be defined to many of the people of Stockholm as ‘nature’. Therefor I have created a few positions around the park with furniture that relate to the library and therefor give you the notion of being within the sphere of the library. In the park you also find Internet connection.
4 READING AT HOME.
A safe place where the reader can forget himself and travel “inwards”. Because a person who reads forgets himself and is not vigilant, the place where he or she reads has to be safe and secured.
In the south-east corner of the upper floor there is a “home” setting with a rug, a floor lamp and a side table. The personal character is emphasized by the division of space, both by the grid and the shielding bookshelves. Here the sound level is very pleasant since the level of silence is more significant the higher in the building you reach.
5 READING AMONG THE CROWD.
The city experience is intense and overwhelming, and modern man has to learn to be lonely amidst of the crowd. Reading has become one of the strategies to take a rest from the hectic city life.
This type involve reading in environments where many people pass by. When entering the library from the plaza you find the stair that take you to the main level of the library. This stair is also a place to have a seat, read a book, wait for a friend or listen to a lecture.
...and then I added my own little bonus situation.
6 READING WITHIN THE UNKNOWN.
The activity of reading present you with the possibility to enter a new world and to temporarily flee reality. But what happens if you already feel as if you are in a situation where you are experiencing a space as if it is almost fiction. This could possibly take your reading experience to a whole new level.
When finding the ‘Book Swapping Tower’ you will be struck by the level of fairytale character it has. Climbing the narrow stairs of the tower you will feel as if having entered a secret world. Sitting in the top floor, next to the hilly park with a book in your hand that you did not expect to find in the tower, you will hopefully experience a new reading situation.
Daniel Koch, researcher/teacher KTH Architecture
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M O D E L S I N VA R I O U S S C A L E S
W I N T E R E V E N I N G , V I E W F R O M T H E T O P O F K R O N O B E R G S PA R K E N
Designed especially for the library of Kungsholmen, the table and chair relate to the material and structure of the building. The proportions of the legs are the same as the concrete facade pillars of the building and the material of use is birch plywood just as in the interior details and facade.
Constructed from engineered timber they are strong and stable and give a warm and pleasant impression that invite you to sit down.
CHAIR
Inspiration for the chair comes from ‘Vivi’ by Thomas Bernstrand. In my design the proportions of the legs is the same as the structural pillars of the building. The legs are treated with iron-vitriol while the back and seat of the chair is left natural.
TABLE
Birch plywood as the chair but with a finishing top layer of linoleum. The strong yet soft apparence of the linoleum make it a pleasant material to write on top of. The sound absorbing character of the material is perfect for the library environment.
At a few positions within the park there are reading- and workspaces where you find a table, chair, a lamp and wi-fi (available within the whole park if owner of a library card).
Both table and chair has the same form as the furniture designed for the interior of the library. The material is adapted for outdoor usage.
CHAIR
Legs are constructed out of galvanized steel with the same proportions as the wooden chair. The seating and back is cast in gray fiber-cement. Within the fiber-cement there are air present in the form of microscopically small pores. These act as expansion spaces when water freezes and prevent frost damage.
TABLE
The frame and legs of the table is made of galvanized steel with a table top made of fiber-cement giving it a strong and durable character.
LIGHTING
Lamp, solar panel and battery is integrated within the unit. With a power save mode it glowed when dark outside. With motion detection it lits up when someone sits down.
TOWER OF BOOKS
TABLE AND CHAIR READING IN THE PARK
A BOOK SWAPPING TOWER IN THE NEW PUBLIC SQUARE
Book swapping or book exchange is the practice of a swap of books between one person and another.
The idea of reading in the park and to exchange books with others is already implemented in the park today. Next to the playground there is a small box where you can drop of the book you have just finished reading.
In the backyard of the fire station stands a tower constructed out of wood. It is a ‘cultural diamond’ that let us remember the past. This tower was built in 1931 together with the brick building, it was constructed for two purposes :
1 For drying fire-hoses. A central vertical shaft reach from bottom to the top level of the tower. This was where they hung the wet fire-hoses when needed to dry.
2 As a practice tower for the fire fighters where they could climb ladders in four stories.
This tower has up until now been unavailable for the public. I repro- gram the tower and make it accessible by making it into a book swapping tower.
The tower will be open for the public but follow the open and closing hours of the library.
E X T E R N A L S U N S H A D I N G I N L I B R A RY
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‘ R E A D I N G S P O T ’ I N T H E PA R K . TA B L E , C H A R I R A N D L A M P ( S O L A R- E N E R GY ) M A I N S TA I R O F L I B R A RY
P L A Z A , L I B R A RY & B O O K- S WA P P I N G -T O W E R
Imagine a library that had lots of space and lots of books in a rather small volume. To ac- complish this you would need large archives to hold all the book that are not being displayed at the moment.
At this site the library can use the existing bomb shelter as an archive. You will access the archive through an underground passage from the library. Above the passage is where the park extension is created.
Reference project the Bahnhof server hall in ‘Vita Bergen’ by Albert France-Lanord (A)rchitects
A R C H I V E
S E C T I O N A R C H I V E 1 : 2 0 0
P L A N A R C H I V E 1 : 2 0 0 S O U T H FA C A D E 1 : 2 0 0
M O D E L S & P R O C E S S
C O N C E P T M O D E L
The library is a diverse place with a number of activities taking place at the same time.
This model was an early physical sketch for the multiple use of both the library space but also the existing brick building on site today.
M O D E L O F P R I VAT E R O O M 1 : 5 0 M O D E L O F P R I VAT E R O O M 1 : 5 0 M O D E L O F R E A D I N G I N P U B L I C 1 : 5 0 M O D E L O F T O W E R C O N C E P T M O D E L
S I T E T O D A Y P R O C E S S
The road to the underground bomb-shelter together with the back of the garage are creating a distinct and unpleasant barrier toward the park.
During the process the building has been changing in spacial organization, number of floors and in size. This is a few of the models in scale 1:200 that
I’ve been working with. The different chang- es has been tried out in a model in scale 1:100 as well.
M O D E L S T U D I E S 1 : 2 0 0
S O U T H FA C A D E O F F I R E S TAT I O N , M O D E L 1 : 2 0 0
E X P E R I M E N T W I T H E N T R A N C E FA C A D E M AT E R I A L
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S I T E A F T E R MY P R O P O S A L , M O D E L 1 : 2 0 0
S I T E A F T E R MY P R O P O S A L , M O D E L 1 : 2 0 0 M O D E L 1 : 2 0 0 M O D E L 1 : 2 0 0 M O D E L 1 : 2 0 0
F I N A L C R I T I Q U E , J U N E 2
R E F E R E N C E S L I T E R AT U R E
Vårt Kungsholmen / Harald Norbelie. - 1992. - ISBN: 91-88016-17-X (inb)
Constructing architecture : materials, processes, structures : a handbook / Andrea Deplazes (ed.).
- 2009 - 1. corrected reprint of the 2., extended ed.. - ISBN: 978-3-7643-8630-6 (hbk) Library architecture + design / by Manuela Roth. - 2010. - ISBN: 3-03768-065-2 (hbk)
Library space : inspiration for buildings and design / edited by Hellen Nieegaard, Jens Lauridsen and Knud Schulz. - 2009 - 1. ed., 1. impr.. - ISBN: 9788790849559 (hft)
Bibliotek och arkitektur : byggnader, rum, samlingar / Magdalena Gram red.. - 2002. - ISBN:
9789185460663
Library / edited and photographed by Yukio Futagawa. - 2006. - ISBN: 4-87140-573-7
The architecture of knowledge : the library of the future = De architektuur van kennis : de bibliotheek van de toekomst / [authors, Rients Dijkstra ...[et al.] ; translation, Christine Gardner].. - 2010. - ISBN: 978-90-5662-747-8
New public spaces / Sarah Gaventa. - 2006. - ISBN: 1-84533-134-6
Planning and design of library buildings / Godfrey Thompson. - 1989 - 3. ed.. - ISBN: 0-408-50024-7 Tystnaden och ljuset : om bibliotekens arkitektur / Vilma Hodászy Fröberg. - 1998. - ISBN: 91-7203- 192-1 (inb)
Bibliotek i rörelse 3.0 - en strategisk plan för Stockholms bibliotek 2011-2015 / Stockholms Stads- bibilotek, Stockholm Kulturförvaltning.
Woodleigh School Science Building, Australia Architect SEAN GODSELL Skellefteå Kraft, Sweden Architect GENERAL ARCHITECTURE
Phillips Exeter Academy Library, USA Architect LOUIS KAHN
Tama Art University Library, Japan Architect TOYO ITO Saint Louis Art Museum, USA
Architect DAVID CHIPPERFIELD
Musashino art university library, Japan Architect SOU FUJIMOTO
