Library, Vilnius

Founded in 1570, the Vilnius University Library is one of the oldest and richest academic libraries in Eastern and Central Europe. Today it also aspires to the image of an ultra-modern science and communication centre. As the existing library, located in Vilnius's Old Town, lacks space and no longer corresponds to today's methods of learning and research, the university decided to build a new one.

The location for the new library is on the outskirts of the capital, where several faculties and student dormitories for Vilnius University and Vilnius Gediminas Technical University were built during the Soviet era. The relatively quiet and leafy location is about to change significantly: during the coming years 'Sunrise Valley', a Technopolis-type agglomeration of universities, research institutes, business 'incubators' and consultancy offices, will emerge here. And, most probably, the new library will be the first building to be realized.

The architectural competition was won by local architects R. Paleko ARCH studija in 2004. Today the design phase is finished and the first stone is due to be laid next spring; if all goes well, the new library will open its doors in 2012. The architects faced a twofold challenge: to create a new landmark for the entire Sunrise Valley (and an emblem for Vilnius University), while also expressing the modern concept of a library.

The library will rise in the middle of the Sunrise Valley, at the intersection of the main pedestrian path and the future access road, which also separates the densely built area from the woodland area. Although visible from the main axes, the library is orientated towards the wood, turning its back to the campus's main plaza, which is located on the other side of the road. 'We wanted to create an isolated space of particular atmosphere, belonging only to the library,' says Rolandas Palekas. The architects believe that the architecture of a library – a place of non-material creativity and spirituality – should radiate an emotional charge. To achieve this they used just one means: expressive, organic forms.

Three irregularly shaped, light-coloured volumes of respectively three, four and five floors, connected by a central glazed base, cant backwards from a generous but still intimate amphitheatre-plaza. The scale and the finish are quite modest. The volumes are clad with pale grey, stone-like composite slabs, and slashed by continuous ribbon windows. The facades facing the woods will be wholly glazed, providing soothing views of swaying trees.

The library's mission is to create an environment conducive to academic activities, and information storage is only one of its functions. According to the architect, today's computer-assisted lifestyle allows people to access information without leaving home. So the library's new role is to be a congenial space for meeting and communicating, for sharing and generating ideas.

The smallest volume of the library is occupied by the administration, while the other two are reserved for the library's users. All three are accessed from the glazed lobby facing the library's forecourt, which doubles as a stage for events, performances, meetings and relaxation. The ground floor, which acts as a central circulation space, also includes a conference hall, cafeteria, bookshop and periodicals reading room with an open-air terrace. There are two bigger, thematic reading rooms – airy spaces with freely accessible bookshelves. In addition, on each floor there are cubicles for individual and group work, seminar rooms and computerized workstations.

Most libraries in Lithuania still convey the image of mysterious 'ivory towers', where users are expected to be silent guests. The new library of Vilnius University will change this concept: it will be an open, welcoming, inspirational house of ideas, dedicated to its master – the academic world.