A library is a typology that has evolved over the years and has stood the test of time. Its functions are updated, and its programming is adapted. Nevertheless, it remains one of the typologies architects love experimenting with and designing. Libraries offer one of the most unique third places where the barrier to knowledge is removed and, at the same time, it is transformed into a civic space. More often than not, it becomes an extensive living room for the area it caters to. Stockholms stadsbibliotek (The Stockholm City Library), which opened in 1928 and was designed by Gunnar Asplund, is no different. It is a library that serves almost the whole city and offers various options for its users to read, study, and expand their knowledge. With the library closed for renovations until the end of 2027, one can take this moment to reflect on how the library has provided sanctuary for the city and will continue to do so after renovations.
“I have strived for simplicity in form, simplicity in the conception of the whole, and simplicity in the use of materials.” – Gunnar Asplund. (Johansson, 1996)
Context and Urban Presence of the Library
Nestled in the intersection of the central streets of Odengatan and Sveavägen in front of a small hill, the library is ever so slightly rotated from the axis of the roads. This rotation creates a slight tension that subtly directs movement towards the library. The library is accessible and recognisable from multiple directions in the city, remaining one of the more recognised landmarks. Even though the town has developed around the library, it retains a firm place in the urban fabric of Stockholm.
The library, designed in a neoclassical style, is envisioned as a geometric addition of a cylinder on a cube. The orange building stands 24 metres tall and has a rotunda emerging from a square base. (Team, 2024) Modernism took its early steps in Sweden in the 1920s. One can identify Asplund’s conflict between modernism and neoclassicism in how he stripped the library of significant ornamentations in form. Yet, the classical functions and the dominating presence of the public building take shape in the way we see it today.
Design of the library
With a grand entrance from Sveavägen, the equestrian steps (About the Stockholm Public Library by Gunnar Asplund, no date) lead to the tapering marble entrance portal, reminiscent of Egyptian architecture. Climbing even higher, one can reach the inner rotunda, a cylindrical amphitheatre-resembling gallery which can shelve around 40,000 books. From the rotunda, one can access the different tiered galleries of the library. This centrality is a feature that Stockholms stadsbibliotek very aptly uses to bring light in and build curiosity for visitors. The library is also inspired by the Pantheon, from where the flooring is based. The central circular space and skylights can also be traced to a Pantheon-like classic architecture. (Fiederer, 2010)
The library’s various wings host different rooms for books, and with a collection of around 2,000,000 books, it is one of the largest in Sweden. In the wings, which house the rooms, especially Room 3, one can notice Asplunds’s more modernist approaches to design, with bare minimum walling and furniture devoid of ornamentation. Inspired by Asplund’s visits to the U.S. (Bergström, 2009), he adapted the open shelving concept, which we are accustomed to today in libraries. A separate children’s library with custom-designed furniture is also a stand-out feature in Stockholms stadsbibliotek.
Journey through the Library
Stepping into the library is an unforgettable experience. Maybe it is the “Swedish Grace” style the library ows it to? (Howard, 2023) The tall and tunnel-like portal makes the entry into the library resemble entering a gigantic yet marvellous cave. The narrow staircase that leads to the rotunda opens up in the centre, making any first-time visitor feel lost in the sea of knowledge. Once the journey to the centre is completed, one is reoriented to adjust to the enormous gallery space. Modern counters and self-loaning machines add a tinge of contemporary anachronism to the otherwise 1920s building. In the mornings, natural light filters from the numerous skylights above, and the tiered galleries expand outwards, seeming gigantic and all-encompassing. Walking towards the galleries, on the other hand, one encounters how human-scale the galleries are and how compact the shelves are, breaking all notions of the first impression of monumentality that the space emanates.
From the central rotunda, one can access many smaller rooms and corridors, and the journey keeps connecting to more spaces. With differences in room heights and arrangements, one never feels like they are in the same place twice, discovering new, smaller locations inside the seemingly monolithic building. Differences in study and research rooms are also motivators for people to find their favourite places to read. One can move radially away from the public rotunda into the smaller and even smaller rooms to research and study quietly. The reading rooms and study rooms, now adapted with electrical points and lamps, are a common place for students to learn. The more public ground floor is operated with information desks, book reservation shelves, a magazine reading area and a small cafe for the visitors.
Every room has a different feel, but all are sound-absorbing. Even the large rotunda is good at dampening noises and chatter, making it an ideal environment for reading. Material choices, such as a combination of wood, metal, and stone, bring the necessary warmth for reading inside while maintaining a monumentality to the space. The library encourages circulation, and the central space is the binding element; rather like the spine of the book, it holds the library intact, giving access to the other pages within it.
Asplund’s library may be a product of its time, but its impact on urban life today is a testament to its importance. The library has two different personalities – one of an intimate learning space and the other of an intimidating mass of knowledge. Paradoxically, a blend of this is what gives Stockholms stadsbibliotek its unique place in Nordic architecture history. A palimpsest of architecture from the 1920s, the building is still growing and adapting to modern needs. The library will open again at the end of 2027 to the public, and until then, we can sense the “void” it leaves behind and hope that when it reopens, it will see more enthusiastic learners than before.
References:
About the Stockholm Public Library by Gunnar Asplund (no date) Stockholms stadsbibliotek. Available at: https://biblioteket.stockholm.se/about-the-stockholm-public-library-by-gunnar-asplund (Accessed: 7 February 2025).
Bergström, A. (2009) ‘Stockholm Public Library : Designing a Path to Knowledge’, in. Erik Gunnar Asplund. Le radici della modernità. Convegno internazionale. Venice, Italy. 18 June 2009, Scuola di dottorato, Università IUAV di Venezia, pp. 15–15. Available at: https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-64573 (Accessed: 6 February 2025).
Fiederer, L. (2010) AD Classics: Stockholm Public Library / Gunnar Asplund, ArchDaily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/92320/ad-classics-stockholm-public-library-gunnar-asplund (Accessed: 6 February 2025).
Howard, C. (2023) ‘The Stockholm Public Library Is A Swedish Architectural Icon’, cherylhoward.com, 27 June. Available at: https://cherylhoward.com/stockholm-public-library/ (Accessed: 6 February 2025).
Johansson, B. (1996) Gunnar Asplund Architect 1885 1940. Stockholm.
Team, A. (2024) The Stockholm Public Library: Gunnar Asplund’s Masterpiece of Nordic Classicism and Modernism, ArchEyes. Available at: https://archeyes.com/the-stockholm-public-library-gunnar-asplunds-masterpiece-of-nordic-classicism-and-modernism/ (Accessed: 7 February 2025).
