Stepped, pastel-pink seating spills out from inside the OBA Next Lab library and community space in Amsterdam, designed by Dutch architecture practices Matter Makers, AWR and BAZ Studio as a public living room. Completed for The Public Library of Amsterdam, or OBA, the 1,175-square-metre timber structure provides a library, cinema, cafe and events space on a…

Chinese studio Open Architecture has completed the 50-metre-tall Sun Tower, which has a conical concrete form designed to follow the path of the sun, in Yantai, northeast China. Located in Yantai’s Yeda Development Zone, the cultural and community venue comprises exhibition spaces, a semi-outdoor theatre, a library, a viewing deck, a cafe and a bar. According…

Kengo Kuma and Associates have recently completed this Chikujō Town Public Library, reworking a former public hall into a timber-filled civic space in rural Fukuoka, Japan. Set within a quiet landscape, the new library presents a low, extended form whose edges are softened by a field of vertical wooden louvers. These slender members gather along…

Our service pods, desks and counters are the result of over 25 years’ designing for libraries, education and community spaces. Throughout this period, we have navigated the sector’s shift from traditional book repositories to multi-purpose community hubs, designing our products to respond effectively to the requirements of these increasingly dynamic environments. Our desks are designed…

LUO Studio’s Shell Book Pavilion occupies a public plaza of Xiangyun Town, a commercial district of Beijing. Taking the form of a clamshell which opens and closes, the tiny library shapes a small but active space for reading, gathering, and pause. The project begins from familiarity. The architects describe prior visits with family, where the…

At Léopold Sédar Senghor School in Paris, Atelier Pierre-Louis Gerlier transforms a former storage room into an immersive library designed as a colourful learning landscape. The library functions as a small village made up of huts arranged around a large central square, which offers communal space for group reading, discussions, and collective activities. Each hut…

An ergonomic work setup is essential for creating healthy workspaces that reduce occupational injuries and support staff wellbeing. Workstations should promote a natural posture and allow staff to vary their working position throughout the day, helping to minimize repetitive movement and strain on the musculoskeletal system. This can be supported by providing furniture and equipment…

The project by Doxa and Bistan Architekti revitalises the P. O. Hviezdoslav Regional Library in Prešov, Slovakia. Housed within three adjoining historic townhouses, the intervention focuses on preserving the spatial integrity of the original structures while introducing a new shelving system that organises the library through spatial rhythm and light. The library occupies three protected…

Architecture practice Parallel Studio has punctured the white walls of this children’s library in Zanzibar with small holes, providing natural ventilation and casting shadows across books inside. Named Mariam’s Library, the building occupies an empty plot in the village of Mwanyanya and is designed as an “inviting and inclusive environment conducive to learning, creativity, and…

London studio Wright & Wright has expanded the University of Oxford’s Corpus Christi College Library, tucking a limestone-fronted extension into its original Grade I-listed site. Named The Spencer Building, the 479-square-metre extension consolidates the library’s collection of rare manuscripts and books into a single home, while providing reading spaces and step-free access. The Spencer Building…