Danish practice Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects has won the 2016 Public Library of the Year Award for its project Dokk1 in Aarhus, Denmark.
The project pipped two Australian projects and a US project for the top prize: Geelong Library and Heritage Centre designed by ARM Architecture, Success Public Library in WA by Bollig Design Group and Chicago Public Library by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and Wight and Company.
Dokk1 was completed in June 2015 and is the largest public library in Scandinavia. “Dokk1 is a covered urban square – an undulating landscape that facilitates learning, knowledge sharing, innovation and a sense of community,” said Kim Holst Jensen, senior partner at Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects. “Our goal has been to create a stimulating and dynamic environment at this unique location that fosters valuable and meaningful relationships between people; a cultural centre that everyone can see themselves in.”
Dokk1 public library Aarhus, Denmark designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects.
Image: Courtesy Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects
The jury commended the project for prioritizing accessibility in both the siting of the project and its many outdoor spaces and staircases.
“The library has become a key element in the forward-looking strategy for creating more life by the harbour, which used to be a practically deserted area,” said the jury.
The Public Library of the Year Award is an initiative of the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces. Nominated public libraries are judged on their architectural quality, interaction with local culture and surroundings, flexibility, sustainability, learning spaces, and digitization. This year’s jury included architect Maria Wedel Søe of the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces, Kent Martinussen, CEO of the Danish Architecture Centre, and Australian Jan Richards, manager of Central West Libraries NSW.
In April 2016, Schmidt Hammer Lassen and Architectus, supported by Andronas Conservation Architects, Irwin Consult and Steensen Varming Engineers, were appointed to design the $83-million redevelopment of the State Library of Victoria.
