MVRDV Turns Former Essen Department Store Into Public "Living Room"

By Daniel Okafor

An 11,000-square-metre former department store in Essen opened its doors on Saturday as the city's new Central Library, designed by Dutch studio MVRDV with German practice Meyer Architekten. The building fills all six storeys of the Boeckerhaus on Kennedyplatz, relocated from a less central site, and its interiors are dominated by one loud gesture: red bookshelves.

MVRDV partner Fokke Moerel didn't mince words about the building type's predicament. "Of all the building functions out there, the library is possibly the one that has had the biggest challenges to adapt to the new millennium," she said.

Her verdict on the fix: "Essen Central Library offers a response to this challenge. The library remains an important civic building, yet it offers much more than just a place to find books – it becomes a living room that is open and inviting for all of Essen's diverse citizens." She added: "It offers a solution to the social atomisation and isolation that has also been growing in the past decades."

Why a library needs a theory of hanging out

The design leans on sociologist Ray Oldenburg's idea of "third places" — free, informal social settings beyond home, school and work. The studios say the building should feel inclusive whether a visitor arrives "without a specific purpose" or hunts a specific collection.

The bookshelves do the heavy organisational lifting. Clustered into what the architects call "media villages", they carve the floors into identifiable zones: soft play on the first floor, gaming pods on the second, hobby zones on the third. All are red, lightening in tone as the floors rise. Think of it as a colour gradient you can navigate without a map.

Warm wood finishes, plant pots and mixed seating — some for socialising, some for focus — complete the palette. Blue signage handles wayfinding at each landing.

What does the facade actually do?

Plenty, according to the studio. Large bands of glazing wrap the perimeter, exposing study spaces on the edge of every floor. MVRDV said this lets "the activities taking place within the library to become part of its expression towards the city".

"The activated facade acts as an interface between the city and the library, connecting the public realm with the everyday experience of the library users," the studio said. "The different heights and uses create a lively view of people reading, working, talking, or relaxing, with visitors adding even more character to the space."

So the elevations double as advertising. Fair enough — a civic building that hides its work serves nobody.

Beyond the books

The programme reads like a community centre wearing a library's badge:

• A ground-floor cafe meant to lure passersby
• A rooftop events space with panoramic city views
• "Makerspaces" and music rooms
• Areas for 3D printers, virtual reality and robotics

MVRDV described the building as a "vibrant cultural and educational hub", arguing the broader programme secures its longevity and usefulness in the information age while creating room for social interaction in Essen.

Context, briefly

MVRDV was founded in Rotterdam in 1993. Recent work includes a proposal for a "new world wonder" in the Netherlands and a Bordeaux housing scheme featuring people-shaped portals.

The Essen project joins a run of libraries rethinking the format. A demountable timber structure in Amsterdam was likewise conceived as "a living room for the neighbourhood", and Hudson Architects recently converted a neglected Norfolk nightclub — formerly a commercial building — into King's Lynn Library, wrapped in cement shingles.

The bet here is that shelves alone no longer justify the square footage. If Essen's six red floors fill with people who never borrow a book, MVRDV will count that as success.