Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm Zentrum
Berlin, Germany
Competition 2004
Design Team: MAS+David Serero+Elena Fernandez
Library and Media center Humboldt University, Berlin (32 000 m2, $70 million)
The new Grimm library and media center is conceived as a series of light environments. In the
Grimm Zentrum, several lighting devices generate specific light conditions within the building
which define the type of activities and interaction between users :
A sunken garden as the ideal indirect light for the multimedia space Large light wells crossing the
whole height of the building define the space of the reading room Roof patios for the book
processing offices hamfer windows in the thickness of the façade as light reflector for individual
working and reading carrels.
The library floor plates are highly flexible and indeterminate spaces. By a precise integration of
building structure and stack layout, densities of shelving and books can vary on each floor plates.
The space between the shelves can expand and contract so that any area of this space can
become a compact storage zone or an open zone. The reading room is therefore not defined
as a classical centered space; it is rather emerging out of the interaction between
information storage and reading activity. It is a zone of silence, where the space between stacks
dilates and light penetrates in a process inspired by the way data is simultaneously stored and
retrieved on a server.
The roofs of Berlin sets up a language of surface and form which informed our project. Beyond a
mere repetition of the surrounding façade, our project is rather seen as a catalyst to reinterpret
these architectural components of Berlin's architecture into a new architecture.
Berlin, Germany
Competition 2004
Design Team: MAS+David Serero+Elena Fernandez
Library and Media center Humboldt University, Berlin (32 000 m2, $70 million)
The new Grimm library and media center is conceived as a series of light environments. In the
Grimm Zentrum, several lighting devices generate specific light conditions within the building
which define the type of activities and interaction between users :
A sunken garden as the ideal indirect light for the multimedia space Large light wells crossing the
whole height of the building define the space of the reading room Roof patios for the book
processing offices hamfer windows in the thickness of the façade as light reflector for individual
working and reading carrels.
The library floor plates are highly flexible and indeterminate spaces. By a precise integration of
building structure and stack layout, densities of shelving and books can vary on each floor plates.
The space between the shelves can expand and contract so that any area of this space can
become a compact storage zone or an open zone. The reading room is therefore not defined
as a classical centered space; it is rather emerging out of the interaction between
information storage and reading activity. It is a zone of silence, where the space between stacks
dilates and light penetrates in a process inspired by the way data is simultaneously stored and
retrieved on a server.
The roofs of Berlin sets up a language of surface and form which informed our project. Beyond a
mere repetition of the surrounding façade, our project is rather seen as a catalyst to reinterpret
these architectural components of Berlin's architecture into a new architecture.
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