Developed for the AIV Schinkel Competition 2019 in Berlin, the project reimagines the library as a continuous civic landscape rather than a fixed container of books. The proposal connects the new library with the existing ZLB / Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek through a transformative bridge that becomes both circulation and architecture, linking different levels while opening new views toward the city.

Inside, the building is organized as a fluid sequence of reading areas, event spaces, terraces and open circulation zones. Ramps, voids and overlapping floor plates create visual connections between levels, allowing movement to become part of the spatial experience. The project extends beyond the building itself by engaging Mehringplatz, Hallesches Tor and the surrounding public realm, positioning the library as an urban connector and a new civic destination for Berlin.

Urban connection & continuous spatial flow

Bridge as Architecture

Continuous Learning Landscape

Civic Urban Integration

The connecting bridge is conceived as more than a circulation element. It expands, narrows and shifts as it links the existing ZLB with the new library, creating an inhabitable sequence of movement, views and shared public space between old and new.

Inside, ramps, terraces and overlapping floor plates organize the library as a flowing spatial journey. Reading areas, event spaces and circulation are visually connected across multiple levels, allowing movement and learning to operate as one continuous interior landscape.

The proposal extends beyond the library itself by responding to Mehringplatz, Hallesches Tor and the Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek. Landscape, pedestrian connections and public spaces turn the project into an urban connector within Berlin’s wider civic fabric.

Drawings, renders & details