Helsinki Central Library | DRA&U

“I never think of the future – it comes soon enough”― Albert Einstein.

The assertion of the great German scientist has been a reason to reflect on the word “future” and conceptionally represent it in this new building turned towards the next decade. With this idea in mind we have thought of a pure volume, a compact space, a transmissive image of a time explosion which covers the entire surface of the site project. Multiple extrusions create a continuous vitality and a connection between past and future. The Library as a factory of information and creativity is available to their users, which are the true center – the raw material – of the sharing process – revision-regeneration-diffusion of new ideas.

The box principle has been used for the solution of the facades through their division into panels 1x1m. These elements were extruded outwards to create different spaces, including some for leisure, or views of Helsinki. The extruded volumes have a strong bond with the “pixel”, which represents our tribute to the element providing the core information about the technological progress of man: from analog to digital era.