The library of the Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) in Estonia was completed in 2009 after a design by Eero Endjärv, Priit Pent, Mattias Agabus and Illimar Truverk (Arhitekt11 OÜ), with Hannelore Kääramees and Kristi Lents as interior designers.
The inspiration for the library was Ajupuu (Braintree). Collections in the basement are the “roots” providing knowledge to the upstairs reading rooms which form the “crown” of the tree. Information and users flow through a pair of angled staircases that represent branches. The tree metaphor is enhanced by the leaf patterns of the wall stencils.
The vibrant green and dark grey colour scheme brings a high-tech aesthetic fitting with the university’s focus on technology and Estonia’s reputation as a highly tech literate society.
From the exterior, the library appears as a dark windowless monolith. This effect is due to it being covered in a thin polymer textile that acts as a sunshade and diffuses light through an inner glass facade and contributes to the building’s energy efficiency. At the time of construction, this textile facade was the largest of its kind in Europe, a design innovation that also allowed for a striking decor. Again playing on the tree metaphor, the facade represents wood grain, although it is said to also resemble a galaxy.
Established in 1919, the library of the Tallinn University of Technology is among the six institutions recognized as science libraries in Estonia and is part of the Bibliotheca Baltica network. With over 600,000 print documents complemented with 1.5 million electronic resource downloads annually, it serves a population of about 30,000 users, 60% of which are external to the university.
The images shown here date from my visit in March 2019.
References
Content note
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