De Krook

De Krook is a new city library built along the waterfront, on what used to be a neglected corner of the old town. The Spanish design team, working with a Belgian practice, set out to turn this edge into a balcony to the city.

The building is conceived as an open house for knowledge and innovation. Beyond the library it gathers a group of institutions under one roof and is meant to act as a cultural catalyst for the surrounding district.

Its form is a stack of horizontal floors that step and cantilever over the water and the new square. A stark, dark metallic structure sets it apart from the historic monuments nearby, while full-height glazing between the floor plates opens the reading rooms to the river and the rooftops.

Inside, the floors are linked by broad stairs and timber steps that double as seating. Long rows of shelving run under exposed steel beams, and terraces at the edges extend the reading spaces outdoors.