The story of a dazzling new public library in Norway - a triumph of crystalline, sculptural grandeur. Deichman Bjorvika, Olso’s new public library, was completed and opened in summer 2020 after a lengthy period of planning and construction. Located opposite the city’s Opera House and the Munch Museum, this imposing building fits into the ensemble in the new cultural quarter of the Norwegian capital. The project, designed by Lundhagem and Atelier Oslo Architects following an international architectural competition, was conceived around a radical paradigm of the library as a place for conviviality and substantial multimedia platforms in a conducive, unobtrusive environment. The publication documents in detail the planning and building process, from the first draft to the opening. Essays by the novelist Elif Shafak and the library’s long-term director Liv Saeteren explain the significance of the institution as an integrative social force, while Niklas Maak pays tribute to the building from the perspective of architectural criticism. Iwan Baan and Helene Binet capture the architecture and its atmosphere in exquisite photographs. AUTHORS: Nikolaus Hirsch is an architect, curator, editor and educator. He is the artistic director of CIVA in Brussels and was the dean of Stadelschule and the director of Portikus in Frankfurt. Liv Saeteren is a library professional, mediator and the former director of the Deichmanske Biblioteken in Oslo. Elif Shafak is a novelist and essayist based in London. She writes in English and Turkish and is part of the Future Library Project, a one hundred year-long artwork hosted by Deichman Bjorvika. SELLING POINTS: . The new building of Norway’s largest and oldest public library is the prototype of a modern library . With an essay by Elif Shafak on the role and future of libraries 230 illustrations
