The University Library - the Danish Royal Library

Copenhagen, Denmark

Photo © Henrik Gurskov

Photo © Henrik Guhrskov

Architects: Mikkelsen Arkitekter

Year: 1994

With its 500 readers’ desks and some of the Danish Royal Library’s most sophisticated archive rooms, Copenhagen University’s new Humanities Library is a vital hub of the university’s new Amager campus.

The result of this intensive planning and design process is a building characterised by fl exibility, airy openness and simple, clear defi nition. The three open fl oors have been laid out with incremental noise levels in mind – from easy socialising in the lounge and café areas to group study areas and fi nally to the library reading rooms designated for “quiet” use where students can concentrate completely on individual study. In addition to its study and reading facilities the new faculty library building houses three large archive rooms for Royal Library books and records. Award winning architecture

The opening of the new humanities library marks the completion of a long term project started by the Danish Ministry of Culture in 1989. The project attracted international attention even at this early stage, and we received the prestigious Japanese G mark Award for phase one of the project. With the inauguration of phase two the Ministry of Culture completes its plans and fulfi ls its ambition to create a combined library and archive facility designed and built to the highest architectural standard.