vennesla library case study

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Vennesla Library and Culture House / Helen & Hard

• Curated by ArchDaily
• Architects: Helen & Hard
• Area Area of this architecture project Area:  1938 m²
• Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2011
• Photographs Photographs: Emile Ashley
• Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers:   Reynaers Aluminium , Bo Andren
• Client:  Vennesla Kommune
• Budget:  66,4 mill NOK
• Architects:  Helen & Hard
• Team Helen & Hard:  Reinhard Kropf, Siv Helene Stangeland, Håkon Minnesjord Solheim, Caleb Reed, Randi Augenstein
• City:  Vennesla
• Country:  Norway
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Text description provided by the architects. For their new library and community center in Vennesla , Norwegian architects Helen & Hard bring a sophisticated elegance to the public facility in Norway. The project links an existing community house and learning center, and seeks to become an extension of the main city square with its transparent facade and urban loggia. The expressive ribs combine structure, technical infrastructure, and functionality into one architectonic element that creates a dynamic aesthetic identity for the project to meet the client’s original intent to mark the city’s cultural center.

27 prefabricated glue-laminated timber ribs define the spatial expression of the interior, and their offset construction allows the curves to function as spatial interfaces with inset lighting elements to provide a soft glow to the interiors and acoustic absorbents which contain the air conditioning ducts.  "In this project, we developed a rib concept to create useable hybrid structures that combine a timber construction with all technical devices and the interior," explained the architects.The ribs change throughout the interior to inform different spaces; at the main entrance, the rib spans the entire width of the building and then slowly condense to create more intimate rooms.  While the building's roof is informed by the geometry of the curves, the massing along traces the natural lines of the site and responds to the main street by folding down towards it.

Typical of Helen & Hard's work, the project also focuses on reducing the energy need through the use of high standard energy saving solutions in all new parts of the project. The library is a “low-energy” building, defined as class “A” in the Norwegian energy-use definition system.

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Project location

Address: vennesla, norway.

• Sustainability

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Vennesla Library

Creating an inviting, generous and sustainable library.

Vennesla needed a new, modern library that could also house various cultural events: concerts, plays, children’s activities and art exhibitions. The goal was to draw more people into the library – to let them experience the wonderful world of books – and at the same time to offer a bright, open meeting spot for locals. The library had to be nestled in between two existing buildings on the town square. It also had to be energy efficient.

Helen & Hard won the competition, allowing us to create a cultural and social hub built from all-wooden structural elements and glass. The loggia extends organically from the main entrance across the outside square, connecting the building to its surroundings.

Reinhard Kropf

Partner / creative director.

Reach out to Reinhard to learn more about the project.

(+47) 928 80 559 [email protected]

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Vennesla Library and Culture house | Helen & Hard

Made of 27 ribs of prefabricated glue-laminated timber elements and CNC-cut plywood boards are the basic components of this library, the Norwegian architects Helen & Hard bring a sophisticated elegance to this public library in Norway. The Gaudiesque style of timber beams and columns gradually shift shape according to technical and programmatic demands achieving a strong spatial identity well deserved for the cultural center. The library structural elements create a dynamic aesthetic identity for the project to meet the client’s original intent to mark the city’s cultural center. More details come from the architects after the jump. The new library in Vennesla comprises a library, a cafe, meeting places, and administrative areas, and links an existing community house and learning center together. Supporting the idea of an inviting public space, all main public functions have been gathered into one generous space allowing the structure combined with furniture and multiple spatial interfaces to be visible in the interior and from the exterior. An integrated passage brings the city life into and through the building. Furthermore, the brief called for the new building to be open and easily accessible from the main city square, knitting together the existing urban fabric. This was achieved using a large glass facade and urban loggia providing a protected outdoor seating area.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY © Emile Ashley

The whole library consists of 27 ribs made of prefabricated glue-laminated timber elements and CNC-cut plywood boards. These ribs inform the geometry of the roof, as well as the undulating orientation of the generous open space, with personal study zones nestled along the perimeter. Each rib consists of a glue-laminated timber beam and column, acoustic absorbents which contain the air conditioning ducts, bent glass panes that serve as lighting covers and signs, and integrated reading niches and shelves.

Courtesy of Helen & Hard – Photographs: Emile Ashley

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Vennesla Library and Culture House (2011)*

Artist/Designer: Helen & Hard .

Project Location: Norway

Style/Period(s): Contemporary

Primary Material(s): Glass, Wood

Function(s): Library

Related Website(s): ">Vennesla Library-Helen & Hard. | Accessed : March 20, 2014 ">Vennesla Library and Culture Center by Helen & Hard. A AS Architecture | Accessed : March 20, 2014 ">Vennesla Library and Culture Center. Urbis Magazine | Accessed : March 20, 2014

Significant Date(s): 21st Century

Additional Information: Title(s): Vennesla Library and Culture House Designer/Architect: Helen & Hard Architects. Interior painted in 1876–77. Location: Vest-Agder, Norway Publications/Texts in Print- Almaas, Ingerid Helsing. Made in Norway: New Norwegian Architecture. Basel: Birkhäuser, 2016. Broto, Carles. Libraries: Innovation and Design. Barcelona: Links, 2014. Mayo, Joseph. Solid Wood: Case Studies in Mass Timber Architecture, Technology and Design. Taylor and Francis, 2015. Additional Information: Building Address Venneslamoen 19, 4700 Vennesla, Norway Significant Dates: Construction Began 2010 Completed 2011 Tags Norwegian, Contemporary, Wood, Library

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helen & hard: vennesla library and cultural center

norwegian practice helen & hard (siv helene stangeland, reinhard kropf) has shared with us images of ‘vennesla library and cultural center’, a multi-level public facility in vennesla, norway. serving as a spatial connector between an existing community house, learning center, and a public square, the design is a direct result of the synergetic coupling of structures, manifesting as a series of gradually shifting ribs that provide structure in addition to furniture and storage for technical devices.

focusing on creating an inviting public domain, the library brings the city life into and through the building. a large glass facade serves as an open interface between the interior and the city’s main square, while an urban loggia provides sheltered outdoor seating for visitors. in order to reduce the energy needs of all three buildings, two long facades of the existing structures were used to minimize on total surface of the exterior walls. all new walls, floors and roof have been equipped with high-standard energy solutions.

helen and hard (7)

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Vennesla Library & Cultural Center

Exterior view from square, exterior view - sunscreens, interior view from main entrance, interior view-main library floor, interior view from library towards foayer and square, interior view-space between ribs, cellar plan, ground floor plan.

The new library in Vennesla comprises a library, a cafe, meeting places and administrative areas, and links an existing community house and learning centre together. Supporting the idea of an inviting public space, all main public functions have been gathered into one generous space allowing the structure combined with furniture and multiple spatial interfaces to be visible in the interior and from the exterior. An integrated passage brings the city life into and through the building. Furthermore, the brief called for the new building to be open and easily accessible from the main city square, knitting together the existing urban fabric. This was achieved using a large glass facade and urban loggia providing a protected outdoor seating area. In this project, we developed a rib concept to create usable hybrid structures that combine a timber construction with all technical devices and the interior. The whole library consists of 27 ribs made of prefabricated glue-laminated timber elements and CNC-cut plywood boards. These ribs inform the geometry of the roof, as well as the undulating orientation of the generous open space, with personal study zones nestled along the perimeter.

Each rib consists of a glue laminated timber beam and column, acoustic absorbents which contain the air conditioning ducts, bent glass panes that serve as lighting covers and signs, and integrated reading niches and shelves. The gradually shifting shapes of the ribs are generated through adapting to the two adjacent buildings and also through spatial quality and functional demands for the different compartments of the library. Each end facade has been shaped according to the specific requirements of the site. At the main entrance, the rib forms the loggia which spans the width of the entire square. Against south/west the building traces the natural site lines, and the building folds down towards the street according to the interior plan and height requirements. On this side, the facade is fitted with fixed vertical sun-shading, This shading also gathers the building into one volume, witch clearly appears between the two neighboring buildings.

A main intention has also been to reduce the energy need for all three buildings through the infill concept and the use of high standard energy saving solutions in all new parts. The library is a “low-energy” building, defined as class “A” in the Norwegian energy-use definition system. We aimed to maximize the use of wood in the building. In total, over 450m3 of gluelam wood have been used for the construction alone. All ribs, inner and outer walls, elevator shaft, slabs, and partially roof, are made in gluelam wood. All gluelam is exposed on one or both sides. A symbiosis of structure, technical infrastructure, furniture and interior in one architectonic element creates a strong spatial identity that meets the client’s original intent to mark the city’s cultural center.

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Unity in Wood. Vennesla Cultural Centre and Library

2013, Architual

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Vennesla Library and Cultural Centre by Helen & Hard

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'Our main goal was to create a sustainable public building, both environmentally and socially, for building visitors and employees alike,' say Norwegian architects Siv Helene Stangeland and Reinhard Kropf, about the startling, ribcage-like Library and Cultural Centre they have recently completed in Vennesla, in southern Norway. The project kicked off in spring 2009, when the architects - partners of Stavanger architecture practice Helen & Hard - won the competition to design a community space that would combine a library, a café and public meeting spaces, also uniting them with an adjacent existing cinema and adult educational facility. The architects worked closely with user groups and took into account the continuously changing role of the modern library for a design that would produce a quiet haven fit for reading but also a place for meeting and social activities. Completed in the end of 2011, the building sits next to a main town square, which the interconnecting buildings overlook. On entering through the square and a common doorway, the library section opens up through a generous glass façade towards an inviting sheltered courtyard with seating and space for social interaction. The building's main design feature, however, is the impressive ceiling. This is made of 27 prefabricated glulam (glued laminated timber) ribs, a structure that allows for optimal ventilation and light, at the same time transforming into furniture when reaching the ground level. Interiors are detailed in timber, using oak parquetry for all floors and plywood veneer birch for fixed fittings. Untreated heartwood pine is used for the outer façade. The construction - mostly of prefabricated timber elements - conforms to low energy standards; a single central geothermal heat pump keeps the interior warm, the timber used comes from renewable sources, while air is released through a rib 'add-on' at ground level, returning through the ribs at the ceiling. The result is an efficient building with a strong identity that offers a public space fit for the 21st century.

The ribs ensure optimal ventilation and light

They also transform into furniture when reaching the ground level

The construction conforms to low energy standards...

... thanks to the use of a single central geothermal heat pump and the fact that air is released through a rib 'add-on' at ground level, returning through the ribs at the ceiling

The interiors are detailed in timber, using oak parquetry for all floors and plywood veneer birch for fixed fittings

Untreated heartwood pine is used in the outer façade

The project was completed at the end of 2011

The new building, incorporating a library, a café and public meeting spaces, is linked to a cinema and adult educational facility, built earlier

The interconnecting buildings overlook the main town square

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Vennesla Library

GROUP 5: Ziyue Chen, Yirong Li, Johanna Pettersson, Louisa Roth, Karolina Wäli

Vennesla Library, in Vennesla, Norway by Helen & Hard.

After winning the competition for the new library of Vennesla the building was completed in 2011. The goal was to draw more people into the library and become an inviting place for meeting. The library simultaneously works as a cultural and social hub that arrange various cultural events. The project exemplifies some of the key characteristics of the 21-century public library. The open floor plan, the combination of library- café and other public functions.

The building is located in the heart of Vennesla by the town square and is an important meeting spot in the area. The project was a part of the relocation of the town center in the city. In direct connection to the plot there was to old existing public buildings, an adult learning center and a community center/cinema. The new library infill the space between and become the link between the two old buildings which today works as one.

This building is mainly built of wood, and is a low-energy building. There are 27 ribs in prefabricated glue-laminated timber, all of them with different shapes and angles which span like arches over the main level. The ribs support and form the geometry of the roof. The ribs are constructed as a box and contain technical infrastructure inside. The ribs are multifunctional and furniture such as shelves and sitting benches are integrated in the ribs.

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The Vennesla Library In Norway

Ribbed ceilings and perfect lighting.

Image via Complex Original

Helen & Hard Architects  designed the Vennesla Library and Cultural Center in Norway, using a 27-ribbed ceiling, timber beams, hidden air conditioning ducts, and cushion-lined hollowed sitting spaces. It was built with the intention of preserving and enhancing the amazing natural light of the space. If only all libraries were as well-designed as the Vennesla. [ Dezeen ]

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Vennesla Library and Culture House

The library opens out onto the civic square. Image: Emile Ashley

The organic yet modern interior was the winning design in an open architecture competition. Image: Emile Ashley

The whole library consists of 27 ribs made of prefabricated glue-laminated timber elements and CNC cut plywood boards. Image: Emile Ashley

Each rib of shelving creates a cosy nook. Image: Emile Ashley

Study spots are nestled amongst the stacks. Image: Emile Ashley

The interior ribcage of the Vennesla Library and Culture House. Image: Emile Ashley

Some of the AV spaces provided within the library. Image: Emile Ashley

Natural light keeps energy usage - and costs - down. Image: Emile Ashley

A side view of the library in southern Norway. Image: Emile Ashley

The building was designed by Norwegian architecture firm Helen & Hard. Image: Emile Ashley

Along with the library, the building houses a cafe, meeting places and administrative areas and links an existing community house and a learning centre. Image: Emile Ashley

The angular façade conceals the organic shapes within. Image: Emile Ashley

Given Norway’s controversial history as a whaling nation, building a library with an interior reminiscent of a whale’s ribcage was risky. But Håkon Minnesjord Solheim from the architecture firm Helen & Hard explains that the design isn’t a political statement. Or a literary one (even though book characters Pinnochio and Jonah were both swallowed by whales). He did, however, draw inspiration from nature when looking for practical, structural solutions.

“We investigated old adjoining buildings and how we could create a library with just one element that works as construction, infrastructure, and interior,” said Solheim. The result is the visually striking ribcage, “consisting of a glued, laminated-timber beam and column, acoustic absorbents which contain the air-conditioning ducts, bent-glass panes that serve as lighting covers and signs, and integrated reading niches and shelves.”

Part of the concept was openness and transparency and, in trying to keep the 1938m2 library open to the civic square in front, the main floor has been left as an open-plan space with other smaller spaces confined to downstairs. The whole library opens directly onto the street, allowing any pedestrian to see inside and partake in the activities, dances and cultural performances that happen on the main floor.

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Vennesla Library

The light and inviting library catches the eye thanks to the glass façade and the geometric skeleton of 27 glued wooden ribs. The ribs of the building determine the organic forms of the bookshelf units with integrated seats on which visitors can sit and read.

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