MVRDV turns former Essen department store into public "living room"

An 11,000-square-metre former department store in Essen has reopened as a public library, with red bookshelves filling multipurpose interiors designed by MVRDV and Meyer Architekten.

Named Essen Central Library, the civic building opened to the public on Saturday. It relocates a former library to a more central site and spans all six storeys of Boeckerhaus, the former department store on Kennedyplatz.

MVRDV designed the building as a "vibrant cultural and educational hub" that offers more than a traditional archive. The Dutch studio said the approach aims to secure the building's longevity and usefulness in the information age while providing opportunities for social interaction in Essen.

"Of all the building functions out there, the library is possibly the one that has had the biggest challenges to adapt to the new millennium", said MVRDV partner Fokke Moerel.

"Essen Central Library offers a response to this challenge. The library remains an important civic building, yet it offers much more than just a place to find books – it becomes a living room that is open and inviting for all of Essen's diverse citizens," she continued.

"It offers a solution to the social atomisation and isolation that has also been growing in the past decades."

What is the design based on?

The design draws on a theory by sociologist Ray Oldenburg about third places: free and informal social environments that people enjoy beyond their homes, schools and places of work. The studios said they hope the library feels inclusive to everyone in the city, whether visiting "without a specific purpose" or looking for a specific collection.

Externally, large bands of glazing mark the building and allow views of the interior, including study spaces arranged along the perimeter of each floor.

MVRDV said this allows "the activities taking place within the library to become part of its expression towards the city".

"The activated facade acts as an interface between the city and the library, connecting the public realm with the everyday experience of the library users," said the studio.

"The different heights and uses create a lively view of people reading, working, talking, or relaxing, with visitors adding even more character to the space."

How do the interiors work?

Throughout the interior, bookshelves define different spaces and combine in clusters on each floor, making collections "concentrated and identifiable". These clusters, named "media villages", define:

• soft play spaces on the first floor
• gaming pods on the second floor
• hobby zones on the third floor

All clusters are red, lightening in tone with each level. Warm and natural wood finishes, plant pots and seating areas suited for socialising or focusing complete the palette. Blue signage aids wayfinding on each landing.

A ground-floor cafe is intended to entice passersby, and a rooftop events space offers panoramic city views. The programme also includes "makerspaces", music rooms and areas for technologies such as 3D printers, virtual reality and robotics.

MVRDV, founded in Rotterdam in 1993, recently presented a proposal for a "new world wonder" in the Netherlands and a Bordeaux housing scheme with people-shaped portals. For practices watching European civic work, Essen Central Library shows how a retail shell can carry a full social programme with no new construction.