Hauptbücherei Wien

November 16, 2022 In Libraries

When comparing user statistics for the new Vienna main library compared to its former location, management was surprised to see that they reflected a slightly older demographic. Was this a sign that the newly designed spaces and offerings were not as attractive to the younger generations as it was hoped? But after carefully examining the numbers, a new reality began to emerge: the updated patron demographic was more closely matched to that of the city as a whole. It was not a question of the new library being not attractive; to the contrary, the new location straddling a subway and tram interchange and right on the busy Gürtel ring road had brought it closer to all city districts. This was a library for the whole of Vienna.

For the participants of the international architecture competition for the new library, this location was challenging. The Gürtel follows the remains of the city fortifications erected during the Austro-Turkish war. These were demolished in the 19th century to make way for a branch of Otto Wagner’s Stadtbahn transit network (now the U6 subway line). The resulting rail trench sandwiched by twin boulevards not only makes it a busy thoroughfare, it also acts as a symbolic boundary between the old city core and the outer districts. This was the area earmarked by the city for its new library: a thin strip of land between two traffic arteries straddling a heritage transit line; to the north sat one of Wagner’s exquisite Jugendstil Stadtbahn stations while the southern was bounded by Urban-Loritz-Platz, a busy tramway interchange over which a textile canopy by Silje Tillner was being installed.

Exterior view of a contemporary building on concrete stilts straddling a light rail station recessed into the ground.
A “canyon” splits the library to the Stadtbahn line below.
Interior view of a library, most of the image is occupied by a large window through which the city of Vienna can be seen. Silhouetted library users stand in front of the window.
Views along the Gürtel.
Exterior view of a large set of stairs, split in half to provide access to a subway station marked Burggasse-Stadthalle. On top of the subway entrance is another entrance to the library marked Buechereien Wien. A couple stands in the foreground.
The combined library and subway entrance connects to the city.

Built between 2000 and 2002 and inaugurated on April 7, 2003, the winning proposal by Ernst Mayr uniquely solves those challenges with a design that embraces the complexity of its situation. Its long, narrow shape fits well with the visual direction of the ring road. A deep “canyon” splitting the library longitudinally both acts as a light well that reaches all levels of the building and as a visual reference to the Stadtbahn trench. The structure is furthermore raised on concrete stilts allowing a line of sight across the Gürtel between inner and outer city districts.

Exterior view of a Jugendstil subway stop marked Burggasse and surrounded by commuters. Behind the station is a contemporary glass and orange cladding building composed of two symmetrical shapes separated by a narrow space.
The north facade of the library rises behind Otto Wagner’s Burggasse Stadtbahn station.
Exterior view of a large set of stairs, split in half to provide access to a subway station marked Burggasse-Stadthalle. On top of the subway entrance is another entrance to the library marked Buechereien Wien. People are entering and exiting the station and climbing down the stairs.
A monumental stair connects the library’s roof with Urban-Loritz-Platz.

The north facade rises behind Wagner’s Stadtbahn station without overpowering it. It is set back almost respectively, keeping the historical structure’s original relationship with the buried train tracks and allowing light down to the platforms. The subtle relationship with Otto Wagner’s architecture extends to the library’s measurements, which uses a reference grid based on the 4.05m raster that Wagner applied across the Stadtbahn project. On the north end, the library keels down to street level in a monumental flight of stairs inspired by Adalberto Libera’s Casa Malaparte in Capri. This extraordinary feature essentially adds the entire roof surface of the library to the public realm of Urban-Loritz-Platz, extending public space by offering it a rare open air plateau over the city. A cafe occupies a circular pavilion at the top of the stairs, another visual reference to Casa Malaparte’s curving wall.

Exterior view of the roof of the Vienna main public library, showing a glass canyon in the middle and triangular, mirrored shapes jutting on either side.
View from the publicly accessible library roof down the “light canyon” that cuts through the building to the train tracks below.

The interior of the library is organized in a series of “colleges”, distinct volumes that thematically separate the various functions of the library (children’s area, quiet reading space, group workspace, browsing area, service areas…) while allowing for continuous circulation between them. A double-height space towards the northern facade maximizes natural light and offers a popular reading spot with unparalleled city views.

Interior view of a contemporary library. It's a double-height glass-enclosed room with blue carpeting and patrons wearing face masks sitting on couches, reading. Another similar room can be seen across a light well in front of the camera.
Interior view of a public library. A large bookshelf lines the wall to the right. In front, a row of tables is occupied by people talking and working on computers.
Interior view of a contemporary library. It's a double-height glass-enclosed room with blue carpeting and patrons wearing face masks sitting on couches, reading. The image is taken from the upper floor, looking down inside the room.

Ideally connected to public transit, embracing modernity with a respectful connection to its heritage and literally straddling the boundary between the more well-off inner districts and the rest of the city, the central library perfectly represents Vienna.

Interior view of the Vienna city library showing a large window through which the city can be seen. On either side of the window are book carts, tables and bookshelves, and people wearing face masks reading and walking with books in their hands. A figure stands near the window, looking out.

Architecture photographer Manfred Seidl has an excellent portfolio of photographs that give a much better sense of the location than my own work.

The images displayed here were taken during my visit in October 2021.

References

  1. Aluminium-Fenster-Institut. (2005). Hauptbücherei, Ernst Mayr—Wien (A)—2002. nextroom.at.
  2. Hauptbibliothek, Wien. (2022). In ArchINFORM.
  3. Pfoser, Alfred, Mayr, Ernst & Boeckl, Matthias (2005). Die Hauptbücherei Wien: Ein Bau von Ernst Mayr. Springer.
  4. Hauptbücherei Wien. Architekt Ernst Mayr. Retrieved November 16, 2022
  5. Urban Loritz Platz: Square Design and Textile Membrane. Architekten Tillner Willinger. Retrieved November 16, 2022



Content note

Library detail pages are primarily a place for me to collect information I gather on the libraries I visit, and are frequently updated. None of this should be considered authoritative, I am not an architect, nor a historian. If you notice something incorrect, please let me know!



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