Heidenheim Municipal Library

Heidenheim, Germany

Photo © Stefan Müller

Drawing © Max Dudler

Libraries

Architects: Max Dudler

Location: Helmut-Bornefeld-Str. 1–3, 89522 Heidenheim, Germany
Year: 2017
Client: Stadt Heidenheim
Building period: 2015–2017
Volume: GFA 6.300 m²
Procedure: Competition 2013, 1st Prize

The post-war architecture in downtown Heidenheim gives this area a very different look from the old town with its historical buildings. The new library creates a connection between these two parts of the city. The positioning and articulation of this new urban component within the cityscape relates directly to the typologies that shape the inner city: alley, square and promenade. A sculptural structure comes into being—a city silhouette that emerges from the transformation of the organically developed townscape. Interacting with the adjacent St. Paul’s Church and the Old Town Hall, the library can be read both as a stand-alone edifice and as part of the urban fabric. The deep-set windows create a mise-en-scène of views across the city and alternate with subtle clinker brick surfaces that are pierced by multiple small openings. The library area extends across the entire second floor as a continuous uninterrupted space, shaping the building’s defining, striking silhouette. A café, a meeting hall, a media centre and a city archive will also be moving into the building along with the municipal library. In 2019 the City Library in Heidenheim received the International Architecture Award of the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design as well as a special mention at the German Architecture Award.