The concept of the architectural binder ties the building into its surrounding in a multilayered way. The library and digital media center is covered like a book in an architectural binder, which protects the inside from the emissions of the neighboring s-train viaduct.






Almost like a cast, this shell follows the mass of the building program it folds inward to create courts that open up to certain interior spaces requiring
daylight. Through this intervention an independent gesture is created within the surrounding neighborhood. The building opens to the east and west, allowing a constant spatial flow between the major urban focus points of
S-Bahnhof Friedrichstrasse and the museum-island with the TV-tower in the background.





The circulation within the building and the generous interior organization is consequential. Voids allow views through every story of the building the two vertical reading rooms are centrally located and accessible from every point of the library and media center resulting in a very clear orientation for visitors.