by Cordula Vielhauer, 04.01.2010
Libraries are modern cathedrals of knowledge. At the latest when you enter a reading room, you get this sublime, almost sacral feeling of being somewhat outside of time and space. And once you have found your place and - much more importantly - the appropriate literature, you are immersed in the transcendent world of books. Recently, this has become especially possible in Berlin: in the heart of the equally noisy and lively German capital, the Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm Center, located not far from the Friedrichstraße S-Bahn station, has been opening its doors to students and other inquisitive minds ever since. And they stay open for a long time: from eight in the morning until midnight. The theme of openness is a defining aspect of the Humboldt University library, even if you can't see it from the outside: It is the largest open access library in Europe, with around two and a half million volumes on shelves accessible to everyone. The architecture of the Berlin-based Max Dudler, who designed this new city building with his team, Andreas Enge and Jochen Soydan, ensures that you can still concentrate on your work and not lose a book.
So let's start with the urban design: Contrary to all expectations (at least those of the other competition participants in 2005), the new building rises above the almost sacredly guarded hat string in Berlin - the eaves height of 22 meters. With this trick, the architects have simultaneously created an urban landmark and a protected city square - in the middle of the densely built-up axis between Friedrichstrasse and Museum Island. The elongated square, which opens parallel to the S-Bahn arches, continues inside the building as a spacious foyer. This is also where the cafeteria is located, as well as all other more public functions: Exhibitions, for example, can be held in large, wood-paneled "boxes." In addition, the foyer contains the entrances to the lockers and the toilets (this is also - in addition to the rather poorly implemented accessibility - a frequently voiced criticism of the building: since the service rooms are located in the basement, people step on each other's feet when descending the narrow staircase).
In the heart of the Onion
To get to the reading areas, another eye of a needle must be passed: The entrance to the access corridor for the library is strictly guarded by security guards and security barriers - no wonder, since it offers the only means of control within the building. Only the secure open access area for particularly valuable books, the research reading room on the sixth floor, is additionally screened off. Once past all the hurdles, another theme of the book building becomes apparent: the onion principle. At the heart of the library is the large reading room; around it are narrower and wider rings for circulation, service areas, work cubicles and, of course, bookshelves.
A house with ideal dimensions
However, the most important basis for the design was not this structure, but the orientation on the smallest module of a library: the book. The classic double-shelf size with a depth of 60 centimeters is derived from this, and the corridor in front of it must be at least 90 centimeters wide. Thus, the construction grid results from an interplay of 60 and 90 centimeters, to which the architects also adhered in the height development: Even the ceiling is "only" 60 centimeters thick, which is extremely slim for a ceiling equipped with all kinds of building services. The load-bearing columns, which are spaced at intervals of between three and twelve meters depending on use, are also based on these dimensions. The grid is maintained right through to the monolithic-looking facade - not a single frame is visible from the outside, the windows appear merely as glazed openings - and is also defined by the different window widths - from the generous to the narrow vertical format to the embrasure-like slit. The advantage of this strict order is clear: no one can get lost here, the building opens up to the visitor as if by itself. However, one should not expect exciting spatial sequences in return.
Hanging Gardens
Nevertheless, the Grimm Center offers a spatial highlight: the large reading room. Not only is it architecturally elaborate, completely clad in American cherry wood (from a single delivery), but it is also the user's favorite in terms of air conditioning: air is exchanged here far more frequently than in the open-plan areas and corridors. A cost issue, clearly, but one that has already been criticized on the library's "opinion board" ("It smells."). The large reading room not only stretches almost the entire length of the building, but also its entire height. Here, one can look up into the sky under the glazed coffered ceiling; below, the reading places are staggered on large terraces - called "hanging gardens" by the architects in analogy to the Babylonian wonder of the world. This is where 252 of a total of more than 1,000 workstations are located.
Working with a view
All workstations are connected by identical furniture consisting of a black-stained solid wood table with inlaid fir-green linoleum and dark cantilever chairs. In the large room, there are double and triple tables, but all seats are equipped with their own reading lights. Like the tables, these are the architects' own design: rectangular and chrome-plated, a thin quartzite disc dampens the light from the energy-saving lamp. Originally, the quartzite was also to be used for the narrow window slots, but this proved too costly. In addition, each workstation is equipped with the obligatory "Kensington" ring, which protects users' notebooks from theft.
In general, there are quite a few different types of reading stations: In addition to those in the large reading room, there are those in the lockable booths that can be "rented" for several months (but are free of charge) with a view of the reading room, those in the service zones, and those by the window. A special feature of the coveted window seats is also that convector heaters are available here. However, these do not serve to warm the room, but solely to compensate for the cold radiation from the windows. The group workstations - with and without supervision - as well as computer workstations are located in the basements and thus do not benefit from the great advantage that all other reading places have: the free view - through the entire building, through the "hanging gardens" or out onto and over the city.
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