Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Architect: MVRDV.

The Book Mountain library in Spijkenisse, Netherlands, is a visible and inviting advert for reading, with a glass dome that makes it visible from all sides. The library is designed to accommodate a range of commercial functions, including an environmental education centre, a chess club, auditorium, meeting rooms, commercial offices, and retail. The exterior of the library is shaped like a traditional Dutch farm, referencing the town’s agricultural past. The non-library programme is stacked in a pyramidal base, with book platforms projected on top, connected by wide stairs. The library is covered by a barn-shaped glass envelope with wooden trusses, resulting in a transparent, almost open-air library. The climate system is based on an innovative combination of proven technology, such as underground heat and cold storage, natural ventilation, and many other interventions. The library is part of a larger plan to strengthen and intensify the town centre, with MVRDV designing the neighbouring development of 42 houses for a local housing corporation. The apartments inside the plan vary strongly in size, from studio apartments to housing fit for large families, attracting a more diverse urban population. The development of Book Mountain and the Library Quarter is currently being translated into literature, with a mix between literature and photo novel set to be published later this year.

Photo credit: Jeroen Musch.