Town Library and Arts Centre
Östhammar

A disused hotel on a central site in the middle of the town Östhammar was the basis of this project. On two floors with a cellar, it covered two sides of a grid block with a few flats on both floors forming it´s southern end. The remainder of the site was a neglected garden with a number of mature trees. It fronted on to a square used as a car and truck park, with the Council Offices on an adjacent side.
        The brief called for the conversion of the building to Town Library and Arts Centre, a place of culture, pleasure, socialising and reflection. As much of the existing structure as possible should be retained and reused and the building should complement and enrich its existing environment, mainly two storey in scale and mostly detached and terraced housing. The grounds including the garden should be planned and framed on the two open sides by four new, detached, two storey houses.
        The broad range of requirements that needed to be housed meant bringing the cellar accommodation into the compass of the centre, in our view, and an external glazed ramp down to the cellar, on the garden side, made this possible.
        The main library included reading and meeting rooms with access to the garden and on the first floor a children´s section with a “saga” reading room with access to an outdoor terrace. The largest meeting room with a stage and flytower has stackable, stepped seating for 120-130 people, when used as a theatre. On the top floor a balcony with access to a room with a small kitchen and to outside balconies overlooking the garden. In the cellar there is a spa, a café, a greenroom and accommodation for music and art activities.

Client: Bylero
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