Deichman Bjørvika: Oslo Public Library

The story of a dazzling new public library in Norway—a triumph of crystalline, sculptural grandeur

Deichman Bjørvika, Olso’s new public library, was completed and opened in summer 2020 after a lengthy period of planning and construction. Located opposite the city’s Opera House and the Munch Museum, this imposing building fits into the ensemble in the new cultural quarter of the Norwegian capital. The project, designed by Lundhagem and Atelier Oslo Architects following an international architectural competition, was conceived around a radical paradigm of the library as a place for conviviality and substantial multimedia platforms in a conducive, unobtrusive environment.
The publication documents in detail the planning and building process, from the first draft to the opening. Essays by the novelist Elif Shafak and the library’s long-term director Liv Sæteren explain the significance of the institution as an integrative social force, while Niklas Maak pays tribute to the building from the perspective of architectural criticism. Iwan Baan and Hélène Binet capture the architecture and its atmosphere in exquisite photographs.