Open Air Library

The area of Magdeburg, where the project is located, is characterized by old industrial warehouses and factories, now bereft of any industry, and vacancy up to 80%. The city centre of this area is full of closed shops and empty storefronts. From this, the urban experiment that is now the open air library, was created. With a little bit of financial assistance from the federal government, the official library opened in June of this year along with an accompanying cafe all run by the local residents. No registration is required to take out books. You simply take one and bring back within a reasonable amount of time, or bring back another old book. This project has not only succeeded in adding a patch of green space to the industrial city, it has also established a very community oriented institution based on the trust of one's neighbours. The architects re-used the standard modernist façade of an old HORTEN warehouse of the City of Hamm, built in 1966, which has been knocked down in 2007