Deichman Bjorvika Oslo Public Library Cover
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Lundhagem and Atelier Oslo Architects (eds.)

Deichman Bjørvika
Oslo Public Library

In a world where information is available online almost indefinitely, the role of libraries must be rethought. Of this, the new Oslo Public Library is an outstanding example. In contrast to the traditional notion of libraries as archives, this imposing building by Lundhagem and Atelier Oslo represents a radical interpretation of the library as a vibrant place to meet and to linger – a new type of public space.

Deichman Bjørvika documents the design and building process in great detail – from the architects’ first drafts to the opening of the completed building. Essays by novelist Elif Shafak and the library’s long-time director Liv Sæteren explain the significance of libraries as an integrative social force. Niklas Maak pays tribute to the Oslo Public Library from the perspective of architectural criticism. Photo essays by Iwan Baan, Einar Aslaksen and Hélène Binet capture the architecture and atmosphere of the Norwegian capital's new place for people to gather and meet.

In a world where information is available online almost indefinitely, the role of libraries must be rethought. Of this, the new Oslo Public Library is an outstanding example. In contrast to the traditional notion of libraries as archives, this imposing building by Lundhagem and Atelier Oslo represents a radical interpretation of the library as a vibrant place to meet and to linger – a new type of public space.

Deichman Bjørvika documents the design and building process in great detail – from the architects’ first drafts to the opening of the completed building. Essays by novelist Elif Shafak and the library’s long-time director Liv Sæteren explain the significance of libraries as an integrative social force. Niklas Maak pays tribute to the Oslo Public Library from the perspective of architectural criticism. Photo essays by Iwan Baan, Einar Aslaksen and Hélène Binet capture the architecture and atmosphere of the Norwegian capital's new place for people to gather and meet.

Edited by Lundhagem and Atelier Oslo Architects

With photographs by Einar Aslaksen, Iwan Baan, Hélène Binet

With essays by Niklas Maak, Elif Shafak, Liv Sæteren

Design: Integral Lars Müller

20 × 27 cm, 7 ¾ × 10 ¾ in

272 pages, 312 illustrations

hardback

2022, 978-3-03778-650-5, English
Architectural Discourse Architectural Research
CHF 50.00

Niklas Maak

Niklas Maak (*1972) is a writer and a professor in Architecture at the Städel Fine Arts Institute in Frankfurt. Since 2001, he has been the editor for art and architecture at the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung FAZ. He taught architecture at Harvard (2014-2020) and was a co-author and co-curator of Rem Koolhaas‘ research project “Countryside” and the eponymous exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Among his latest publications are the novel “Technophoria” and the essay “Server Manifest. The architecture of the data center and the future of democracy”. Maak received the George F. Kennan Prize, the BDA Prize, and the Henri Nannen Prize, among others.

Liv Sæteren

Liv Sæteren (*1944) was the director of different Norwegian libraries before she was library director at Oslo Public Library/Deichman from 1986 to 2013. Her main focus is library development to meet changes in society, especially in information technology. This included developing a new concept for library buildings and interiors. Her formal education is library school, political science, and public administration. Sæteren was a member of various committees in the cultural field and has been honored with awards such as City of Oslo’s Cultural Award, The King’s Medal of Merit, the honorary award from the Norwegian library association and is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Elif Shafak

Elif Shafak (*1971) is an award-winning British-Turkish novelist. She is a bestselling author in many countries and her work has been translated into 55 languages. Her novel “10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World” was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and RSL Ondaatje Prize, while “The Forty Rules of Love” was chosen by the BBC among 100 novels that shaped our world. Shafak holds a PhD in political science and is an honorary fellow at St Anne’s College, Oxford University. She is a Fellow and a Vice President of the Royal Society of Literature. An advocate for women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and freedom of expression, Shafak contributes to major publications around the world and was awarded the medal of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

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Joseph Grima, Karen Wong (eds.)

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