Architects:Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects

Area :21000 m²

Year :1999

Photographs :Adam Mørk

Engineering :Moe & Brodsgaard

Landscape Architects :Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects

Acoustics : Anders Gade

Client : Danish Ministry of Culture

Conversion : 7000 m2

City : Copenhagen

Country : Denmark

The Royal Library is one of the most significant architectural landmarks on the Copenhagen waterfront. Clad in black granite, the extension to the Royal Library is known as the ‘Black Diamond’ – with its clean-cut lines and glittering polished surfaces, the library is one of Copenhagen’s architectural gems.

Situated in the historic heart of Copenhagen, the extension marks a radical shift from traditional library structure and accommodates a range of cultural facilities. Open and essentially democratic, the building includes a café, bookshop, exhibition room, restaurant, scientific and literary institutions, as well as a roof terrace and a 600-seat hall for concerts, theatrical performances and conferences. The extension has doubled the library’s overall size – the open shelves can accommodate more than 200,000 books compared to the previous capacity of 45,000. There are six reading rooms with a total of 486 seats.