Dion Bruijn

Event Bieb Haarlem

A New Typology for the Library as an Event Space 

The Event Library Haarlem explores the relationship between the library's fixed, everyday program and a new layer that is being added to it. The library is becoming increasingly important within society; it is a place that grows with the times. Not knowing what the library will look like in the future, I imagine that a new typology of library could develop on the station square: an event library, creating space for cultural expression, cultural exchange, and cultural events. The core of the building has a dual function and can be adapted to the type of event by means of a configuration. 

The concept of the building also emphasizes the importance of the existing value of the library, with program elements such as reading rooms, seating areas, workspaces, and bookcases forming the basis of the design. These everyday library spaces are located around the shared traffic area, where the diversity of the city can be seen in the building itself. Different user groups move through the building here. But this same space can also be used as an auditorium with a stage for events. The core of the building, which functions as an urban plaza during the day, thus has a dual function. 
 
The design connects to the ground level and creates a porous ground floor, with the various program components forming an extension of the ground level and its surrounding context. 

The Event Bieb Haarlem is a new type of cultural building that Haarlem has not yet seen, and it explores what the library could be in the future. 

 

Graduation date: 16 September 2025 
Graduation committee: Arna Mačkić (mentor), Miguel Loos, Martine van Vliet
Additional members for the exam: Bart Bulter, Freyke Hartemink