The extension of the historic Malmö City Library has provided the city with an open, welcoming and modern library interacting with nature and the surrounding city.

The new library building is based on – and is diagonally detached from – the square shape of the existing library. The two buildings together constituting Malmö City Library are uniquely situated towards the park where the large illuminated spaces open up to the sculptural trees and the reflecting lake in the park.

Malmö City Library comprises three detached volumes: The old library building; the new, central entrance building and the new library building – all united by glass corridors. In the old library, the original glass-covered atrium has been restored.

Daylight plays an essential role in all building spaces and is experienced as a stimulating and varying element during all hours of the day. The entrance space is lit up from above along the walls while the central space fills the entire room with light flowing down and filtered through the storeys. Here, the sky constitutes the view. The large library space functions as a kind of ‘calendar of light’ where the light is coloured by the leaves of the large trees in the park.