反思：圖書館

文/比亞內?哈馬（SHL建筑師事務所）

by Bjarne Hammer, schmidt hammer lassen architects

反思：圖書館

Reflections: Libraries

文/比亞內?哈馬（SHL建筑師事務所）

by Bjarne Hammer, schmidt hammer lassen architects

前言

圖書館作為文學或電影的背景是具有符號性的。它經常被描繪成昏暗、幽靜的神秘之地。在這里，主人公探索問題，追尋智慧。觀眾解碼并認可把圖書館作為他們可以想象到的地方的建構性表征。圖書館虛構的表征常常給人以濃烈的氛圍感——強烈的地域感，同時，它與觀眾對當下真實圖書館的親身體驗又截然不同，如何做到這一點，令人頗感興趣。

演變

圖書館作為一種機構，自古有之。追溯到數千年前，從埃及、希臘、波斯以及羅馬的歷史中我們可以看到，最早的圖書館主要是儲存信息的檔案室。在那個年代，大多數人不識字，所以保存的都是受過教育的人（即精英階層）的知識。然而，自十五世紀古藤堡（德國活版印刷發明人）發明印刷術以來，書籍、文學、知識都不再為少數人所有，廣大民眾也可以獲取。從此一個具有劃時代意義的文化運動就開始慢慢形成了，直到今天“信息社會”達到令人震驚的速度。

傳統的圖書館具有排他性，只為特權階級服務。現代的圖書館則具有包容性，它能滿足所有社會階層、不同性別以及各個年齡階段的人的需求。因此，據說未來的圖書館將進一步打破障礙。設計挑戰傳統，面向未來的建筑對建筑設計師來說是件有趣的事。

圖書館的功能已經獲得了全面的發展，建筑也得到了全面的提升。我認為圖書館建筑學已經演變為表征獨特品質的建筑類型學，具有巨大的社會、教育、文化方面的潛能，在當今和未來社會起重要作用。

現代圖書館

首先人們為什么要去圖書館呢？今天，幾乎每一個人隨時隨地都能獲得信息，那么圖書館能提供什么呢？

圖書館是一個公共社會空間，與博物館一樣，是現存的少數我們可以享用的非商業性城市空間之一。在圖書館，對于有機會使用各種媒介的訪問者來說，知識唾手可得且基本免費即可獲取。在圖書館，我們可以利用資源，享受服務，而這被認為是絕對特權。

未來的圖書館必將滿足個性化的用戶需求，同時要滿足大眾化的集體需求。用戶訪問圖書館的動機五花八門，如基于人群交往的社會層面因素。此外，人們到圖書館學習知識以啟智，搜尋信息，追蹤新聞動態；有人來做學術研究，還有一些人與他們的學習小組或讀書俱樂部一起聚會。大多數用戶出現在城市文化熱點區域，以獲取所謂的“文化資本”，同時也有助于“文化資本”的形成。

圖書館為大眾提供了知識、空間，成為社會精神的縮影。現代圖書館的一個主要功能讓人們可以獲得幫助他們解讀與理解自己所生活的世界的媒介。為此，堅持圖書館代表民主價值觀，為大眾提供社交平臺的觀點尤為重要。

圖書館作為第三空間

圖書館在社會中扮演著重要角色，因為他們是社會中心、城市集會的地點。因此，建筑師設計圖書館的時候，通過組織空間，擁有改善和創建人們新型交往方式的機會。

“第三空間”的理論能夠解釋圖書館與社會中心概念相關的原因。這一概念是1989年城市社會學家雷?奧登伯格在他的著作《絕好的地方》提出來的。他在書中分析了家和工作場所以外的很多地點。從理論層面來說，這個概念指人們在社區或鄰里見面以便建立友誼、討論話題以及建立工資關系的非正式的地方。第三空間很有價值，因為他們為人們交流，培養歸屬感和團體意識（也可視為自豪感的源頭）創造了空間。此外，奧登伯格發現第三空間反對隔離的同時促進了社會交往，因為他們為工作了一整天的人們提供了交友和娛樂的場所。這樣，第三空間成為中性區域——公共空間和私人空間之間的交點。在這里，與工作和家庭生活相關的需求與義務都被排除在外。作為一個積極例子，圖書館提供了家庭與工作之間開放式的休閑空間。

圖書館建筑傳遞的是開放性、可及性、包容性。作為滿足確定和非確定需求的空間，它與第三空間理論觀念，以頗為有趣的方式相互關聯。圖書館為正式和非正式活動提供了空間，一方面是圖書館的功能和服務所附帶的具體物質環境，另一方面是休閑、交流空間。

當代圖書館的設計

今天的數字社會與轉型社會需要快速獲取相關知識。因此，未來的圖書館必須滿足用戶24小時查詢知識的期望。同時，互聯網和新型媒體挑戰紙質書本的地位，因為他們以靈活的選擇，潛在改變用戶的期望和行為為導向。然而，與人們不再需要圖書館的擔憂相反，圖書館的角色和影響可能會隨著對適應性強的新型便利性學習空間的需求的擴大而增強。

圖書館通過其內部環境的功能和舒適服務于讀者，可是它渴望獲得自己的建筑身份。在圖書館的設計階段，要考慮方方面面的因素。如果我們希望設計一座具有可及性、包容性和開放性的圖書館，最好的方法是確保設計過程暢所欲言，接受創新觀念，比如，邀請用戶群組加入討論。

對建筑師來說，與建筑未來的用戶對話和互動是充滿挑戰卻非常具有價值的開發工具。用戶驅動的設計創新的參與過程在早期就融入到設計過程中會大有益處。總之，專業的圖書館員、學生、訪客和周邊的社區總體上能夠貢獻有益的想法、投入，最重要的是專業知識。此外，這個過程讓人具有重要的奉獻精神和主人翁意識。

用戶視角可以讓建筑師洞察工作流程、工作職能、勞動關系、訪客行為、服務期望和信息要求。所有這些概述了未來用戶和職員的需要和優先考慮事項。邀請用戶群能參加具體問題的討論：選址、形態結構和內部結構，為設計團隊提供盡可能多的相關信息。

不僅設計過程的用戶參與會大大激發和培養公眾的主人翁意識與歸屬感，圖書館建筑竣工后也會為機構、城市與周邊社區傳遞公認的價值觀。

地域感

大多數人都去過圖書館。每個人對作為一個機構和一個場所的圖書館都持有自己的觀點。圖書館作為一個場所與我們感官保留的不同印象有關：聲音效果、寂靜無聲、書墨之香、燈光照片以及時間的流逝。圖書館具有悠久的歷史，具有符號的特性，但它也是一個大家都知道的地方，一個開放式的機構。它在我們生活的小鎮上，在我們學習的校園里，或者在我們上班路上的一棟建筑里。我喜歡把圖書館的獨特氛圍看作是一種“地域感”。

當一些場所被社會賦予了更深刻的意義或定義時，據說它們就有了強烈的“地域感”。設計現代的多功能圖書館完全是創建一個具有穩定的身份和特色的獨一無二的場所，滿足用戶確定和不確定的需求。這個地方培養了真正的依戀與歸屬感。

建筑與地域感的體驗緊密相連，并且會逐漸發生變化。在當代和未來的社會里，作為機構的圖書館毫無疑問會發揮越來越重要的作用。圖書館將一直是一個學習、共享和交流的獨一無二的空間，也是熏陶與靈感的庇護所。我無法想象在消費時代能有沒有圖書館這樣的地方。

Foreword

The library as literary or filmic scenography is iconic. It is often portrayed as a place of mystique and secrecy, as a dim and quiet location, where the protagonist searches for answers and for wisdom. The spectator decodes and recognizes the constructed representation of the library as a place to which he or she can relate. It is interesting how the fictional representation of the library often creates a strong sense of atmosphere – a strong sense of place – while it simultaneously differs from the spectator’s self-experienced knowledge of the authentic library of today.

EvoIution

The library as institution is ancient. Dating back thousands of years, through Egyptian, Greek, Persian and Roman history, the first libraries were primarily archives for storing information. As the majority of the population was illiterate during these eras, the knowledge stored was the preserve of the educated – the elite. However, when Gutenberg invented the printing press in the fifteenth century, books, literature, knowledge, became available to the masses. This was an epochal cultural movement that has evolved ever since – right up to the staggering speed of today’s ‘information society’.

Whereas the classical library was exclusive, and catered to the privileged classes, the modern library is inclusive and accommodates all social classes, genders and ages. Hence it is said that the library of the future will have to break down barriers further. This is an interesting task for the architect – to design a building that defies conventions and looks to the future.

As the function of the library has developed extensively, so too has the architecture. I believe that library architecture has evolved to represent a building typology of unique character, with huge social, educational, and cultural potential, and of great importance to the society of today and tomorrow.

The Modern Library

Why do people visit libraries in the first place? And what can the library offer nowadays, when information is accessible to almost everyone, anywhere, at any time?

The library is a public and social space, which, alongside museums, is one of the few existing non-commercial civic spaces available to us. At the library, knowledge is readily available to visitors who get the chance to use different sorts of media, more or less for free. At the library, we can avail of materials and services, and this should be considered an unconditional privilege.

The library of the future has to meet the individual user’s specific needs, as well as the opposing needs for immersion and community. Users have a long list of diverse motivations for visiting the library; for example, the social dimension that lies in being surrounded by people. Moreover, users come to enlighten themselves with knowledge, to find information, to keep track of the flow of news; some do academic research, others get together with their study group or book club. A substantial proportion of users come to be seen in the city’s cultural hot spot, to gain, and contribute to, so-called ‘cultural capital’.

As libraries make knowledge and space available for the masses, they become the epitome of community spirit. One essential function of the modern library is to give access to media that will help people interpret and understand the world in which we live. For this reason, it is important to maintain the idea of the library as a place that represents democratic values, while offering a publicly available and social platform on which to act.

The Library as the Third PIace

Libraries play an important role in society because they function as social hubs and urban meeting places. Consequently, when designing libraries, the architect holds, through the organization of space, a unique opportunity to improve and create new ways for people to interact.

The theory of the ‘Third Place’ can explain why libraries are connected with this idea of social hubs. The concept was coined in 1989 by urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg, in his book The Great Good Place, in which a number of locations, outside of people’s homes and workplaces, are analysed. From a theoretical perspective, the concept refers to informal places where people meet, in a community or neighbourhood, in order to build friendships, to discuss different subjects and to network. Third Places are valuable because they create space for human interaction, instilling the feeling of belonging and community, which can also be a source of pride. Moreover, Oldenburg finds that Third Places promote sociability while fighting isolation, because they make room for friendships and relaxation after a long day’s work. In this way, Third Places become neutral ground – the intersection between the public and private spheres – where demands and obligations associated with work and family life are precluded. The library, as a positive example, offers an open and casual space between home and work.

Library architecture that expresses openness, accessibility and inclusiveness, connects to the ideas of the theory of the Third Place in interesting ways, as a space fulfilling defined and undefined needs. The library provides room for both formal and informal activities; on one hand, the specific physical environment attached to the library’s functions and services, and, on the other, space for relaxing and interacting.

Designing the Modern Library

Today’s digital and transformative society calls for access to relevant knowledge, fast. Therefore, the library of the future must meet users’ expectations of twentyfour-hour access to knowledge. At the same time, the Internet and new media are challenging the position of the printed book, because they make for flexible alternatives, potentially changing users’ expectations and behaviour. However, contrary to concerns that libraries might become redundant, their role and influence is likely to expand as the need for new adaptable and accessible learning spaces increases.

The library serves its audience through the functionality and comfort of the interior environment – and yet it must aspire to an architectural identity of its own. Many aspects should be taken into consideration during the design phase of a library. If we are to aspire to design library architecture that will appear accessible, inclusive and open, the best way to achieve this is to ensure that the design process itself opens up and adapts to new ideas – for instance, by inviting user-groups to join in.

Dialogue and interaction with the future users of the building is a challenging but very valuable development tool for the architect – and the participatory process of user-driven design innovation can be integrated into the process at the earliest stage, to great advantage. The professional librarian, students, visitors, and surrounding community in general, can contribute with rewarding ideas, input, and, most of all, specific knowledge. Moreover, this process creates an important sense of commitment and ownership.

User perspectives bring insight into work processes, work functions, work relations, visitor behaviour, service expectations, information requests – all of which outline the needs and priorities of future users and staff. The user-groups can be asked to relate to specific issues – the site, geometry and interior – and provide the design team with as much relevant information as possible.

Not only will user involvement in the design process stimulate and develop ownership and affiliation in the public at large, but the library architecture, when completed, will also communicate recognisable values for the institution, the city and the surrounding community.

Sense of PIace

Most of us have been to a library, and we all have our own opinion on the library as institution and as place. The library as place is associated with different impressions retained by our senses – acoustics, silence, the scent of books, illumination, losing track of time. The library is ancient, it is iconic, but it is also a known place, an open institution, situated in the town in which you live, at the school or university where you study, or in the building you pass on your way to work. I like to refer to the characteristic atmosphere of the library as a ‘Sense of Place’.

When places have been given a stronger meaning or definition by society, they are said to have a strong ‘Sense of Place’. Designing modern multifunctional libraries is all about creating unique places with a strong identity and character, connecting to the user’s defined and undefined needs; places that foster a sense of authentic attachment and belonging.

Architecture is closely connected to the experience of Sense of Place, and will change by degrees. In contemporary and future society, the library as institution will indisputably play a rising and significant role. The library will continuously be a unique space for learning, sharing, and interacting, as well as a haven for immersion and inspiration. I cannot imagine a time where such a place will ever be expendable. (– published by ROADS 2013. )