The inner city of Heidenheim is characterised by post-war architecture, which is visually distinct from the historical development of the Old Town. Max Dudler’s new library building is situated on the previously inaccessible property of a former penal institution, which has hitherto manifested the division between the small-scale development in the eastern part of the city and the Old Town. The new city library now connects the two areas: As an urban figure, it reflects the many layers of Heidenheim’s architectural history and the scale of the surrounding area by making proportional reference to the gabled buildings in the adjacent Old Town. Between the two “heads” rising into the sky spans an urban landscape made up of smaller “houses”, the layout of which is oriented on the long structure parallel to it. The transformation of the “organic” city results in a sculptural structure, an urban silhouette. In conjunction with the neighbouring St. Paul’s Church and the old town hall, the new building can be seen both as a solitary object and an integral part of the urban context.
The urban setting and formulation of the new building block refers directly to the existing typologies in the inner city, characterised by passages, squares and promenades. With the new urban esplanade on the east side, the new building connects the central bus station in the north with the Town Hall to the south, thus creating a new link and an exceptional urban area. The plant beds, which project into the square, reflect the silhouette of the building in their shape. Between the neighbouring structure and the new building, a passageway emerges as a counterpart to the promenade in the front.
The large-format windows deliberately stand out from the filigree architecture of the surrounding area. With the deep-set soffits, they direct the visitor’s view into the urban space and alternate with finely perforated wall surfaces, which allows filtered daylight into the interior. From the outside, the actual scale of the windows is dif cult to gauge, creating an exciting contrast to the expansive wall surfaces. The façade material is light beige brickwork, whose colour references Schloss Hellenstein, which towers above the centre of the town. By using handcrafted water-based clinkers, an interplay of lighter and darker shades of beige is created on the façade. The vibrant character of the masonry is supported by the irregular shape of the clinkers and the type of joint mortar. With their relief-like surface texture, the large, closed brick wall surfaces appear restrained in scale. On the end sides of the building and on the ground floor area a perforated-masonry, translucent brickwork is used, which intensifies the sculptural, monolithic character of the building.
from divisare