Library Delft University Of Technology / Mecanoo

Architects: Mecanoo
Area: 15000 m²
Year: 1998
Photographs: Ossip Architectuurfotografie, Greg Holmes Photography
City: Delft
Country: The Netherlands

Library Delft University of Technology, designed by Mecanoo, is a modern addition to the 1960s campus. Situated beside the brutalist auditorium by Van den Broek & Bakema, the library integrates a grass-covered roof that blends into the landscape. Supported by slender steel columns, the structure features fully glazed walls and a prominent central cone housing traditional study spaces. The interior, characterized by spaciousness and warmth, includes a four-story hanging bookcase and extensive use of daylight, creating a bright, inviting environment that meets the demands of modern technology and traditional study needs.

Library Delft University of Technology / Mecanoo

The new library at Delft University of Technology is situated on a 1960s campus, largely defined by a massive, brutalist concrete auditorium by Van den Broek & Bakema. To create a more welcoming campus environment, the university envisioned spaces with lawns, flowers, and trees where students and professors could casually meet on broad steps. The modern library was conceived as a technology-driven space, with most books stored in the basement and computers playing a central role. This emphasis on showcasing technology shaped the design approach.

The massive Van den Broek & Bakema auditorium sits like a large frog on the green lawn. The design of the new library lifts a section of this lawn, shaping the roof of the building. This grass-covered roof is accessible for walking and lounging, adding a new recreational area to the campus.

The roof is upheld by slender steel columns within a vast hall encased by slanted, fully glazed walls. On the western side, a broad staircase leads to a recessed entrance at the base of the slope. A large cone structure emerges from the green landscape, supported by splayed steel columns, containing four levels of traditional study areas connected by a helical staircase. A central void within the cone channels daylight from a glazed roof into the reading spaces below. Rising 40 meters above ground and illuminated at night, the cone acts as a continuous beacon for the campus.

The new library emerges as a structure defined by glass and grass, embodying a forward-looking design. Out of 1,000 study spaces, 300 are equipped with computer terminals, meeting the demands of the ‘electronic highway.’ Despite this modern focus, there is ample space for traditional book browsing and reading.

The library’s interior is defined by a remarkable sense of spaciousness, largely due to the expansive central hall. The atmosphere is inviting, with floors in a Sahara-like hue and furniture crafted from warm MDF board. A four-story bookcase, suspended in front of a deep blue wall, holds the most frequently requested books. The hard metal ceiling is softened by light emanating from the columns, which have grates at their bases to distribute warm air throughout the space. Daylight filters deep into the building through glazed facades, interior walls, a ring of glazing around the cone, and the glazed roof at its apex. This transparency fills the space with light, making the building bright and easily navigable.