Kilkonumi Library Finland

Fyyri Library is located in Kirkkonummi, Finland, a town of nearly 40,000 people next to Helsinki whose civic centre is dominated by a medieval stone church. Fyyri sits directly opposite that church; together with the adjacent open-air market, it forms the civic centre of Kirkkonummi. JKMM designed the new library as a transformation and extension of a building with historical weight. The new facade is clad in copper tiles, recalling Kirkkonummi's history as a coastal sailing harbour. To strengthen the relationship with the church, the architects designed a 50-metre roof terrace that overlooks the churchyard opposite. The original library was built in the 1980s; JKMM kept its reinforced concrete frame and extended it, doubling the volume. The extension also adds a rich programme of community spaces, including a children's activity room, a youth club, exhibition areas and a performance space. On the ground floor, a cafe opens onto a 198-square-metre reading room devoted to newspapers and periodicals; the room is designed in the spirit of Finnish appreciation of books and reading, with carefully detailed fittings that invite immersion. Brass lighting fixtures are custom-made for the interior, warming the atmosphere and echoing the dignity of the building; brass is also used at the entrance, where its brightness draws people in. The result is a civic building that treats the modern library as a living part of the town, embedding reading, community gathering and public life in a single material and spatial order.