Old Town Library in Bratislava

The branch of the Old Town Library in Bratislava on Záhrebská Street is one of five facilities of the Old Town Library within the administrative district of Bratislava – Old Town.

Context
The urban block that includes Záhrebská Street forms a compact urban structure predominantly consisting of brick apartment buildings from the turn of the 1950s and 1960s. The block is bordered by Mýtna, Povraznícka, and Šancová streets. The park in front of the library entrance on Záhrebská Street is the center of this attractive urban block. Therefore, the library is situated in a good location, in the middle of a lively urban neighborhood with direct access to the park (the reading room on the upper floor also has generous windows facing this urban greenery). The library's premises are part of the residential building at Záhrebská 8 – located on the ground floor and the first floor. The building has six above-ground floors. This space was designated as a community area in the original design of the apartment building. The architectural significance of this space is also readable on the facade of the apartment building. Access is through a covered arcade, which is part of the street, and the windows of the main hall are noticeably more generous and accentuated by cornices. The geometry of the space is atypical – the side walls are at a 45-degree angle to the front facade, as it is an accentuated corner of the urban block. Initially, a women's society was based here, later followed by the Old Town Library.

Design
The construction work consisted, apart from demolition, of the implementation of static interventions (The originally proposed steel replacement on the upper floor was not realized for cost-saving reasons). The ceramic ceiling of the large reading room was reinforced with a stiffening monolithic concrete slab. The floors are cast epoxy. The original windows were replaced with new wooden ones, and the arcade features anodized aluminum ones. As part of the window replacement, ventilation was implemented. The new solution for the library's sanitary facilities, as well as the electrical installations, lighting, and cooling systems, was part of the project.

The actual design and layout of the shelving systems draws from the specific geometry of the space, which is defined by the building's corner position. In the first step, a grid was applied in the space, which predestined the handling of furnishing elements. The use of pilasters, which is characteristic of the external street space of the arcade, is also present. The atypical geometry contributed to the creation of a non-linear readable space. This perception is enhanced by the reflective surfaces of the shelves and mobile shelving units, which can either densify or open up the space (ultimately, they were only implemented in the children’s section of the library). Reflections on the exterior walls of the spatial assemblies will create a labyrinth-like atmosphere within the library.

The spatial shelving assemblies have a floor plan in the shape of the letter L, and are arranged differently according to the spatial ratios, creating reading nooks; they typically include a mobile upholstered seating product. In the window recesses, these assemblies transform into display stands for new books. In two cases, the assemblies create library counters. One of these assemblies serves as a computer workstation for library visitors. Structurally, they are spatial shelving units made from painted MDF board, which has a thin polished magnetic stainless steel sheet glued on the outer side. The remaining shelves around the perimeter of the space are made from bent 5mm galvanized steel sheets and are anchored directly to the wall.

The intent was to allow the library to host various types of social events while maximizing the possible capacity of books. Empty reflective surfaces from polished magnetic stainless steel can be used to install exhibitions of paintings, graphics, typography, etc. The space aims to be a public interior of this urban neighborhood. There was also an ambition to address the intermediate space of the arcade and participate in the enhancement of the public space. This is manifested in the lowered window sills in the arcade and new lighting. Proposed luminous pylons to inform about the programs at the library have not yet been implemented.

Attention was also given to the library's facilities on both floors. On the ground floor, an important space is the community kitchen, where one can read and enjoy coffee at the enlarged window that communicates to the public space. The sanitary facilities feature stainless steel cladding and fixtures. Air exchange is ensured by decentralized recovery units embedded in the window sills and above the window frames, with central control. Cooling in both reading rooms is provided by air conditioning units with a single exterior multi-split unit located on the balcony of the ground floor.

Funding
The project "Modern Library in the Old Town" was supported by the European Regional Development Fund, provided by the Ministry of Investments, Regional Development and Informatization of the Slovak Republic, represented by the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic. Conversely, the project "Interior of the Old Town Library" was funded by the Art Support Fund and the Bratislava – Old Town Municipality. External sources in the form of EU funds amounted to €199,496, and the Bratislava – Old Town Municipality supported the construction part of the project with €143,946. The Old Town Library received a grant of €65,000 for the project "Interior of the Old Town Library" from the FPU grant call – Comprehensive Library Infrastructure, and the Old Town Municipality contributed €50,000. The Old Town Library invested €33,760 from its own resources.

The construction reconstruction of the branch on Záhrebská lasted until the end of December 2023, and subsequently, the realization of the interior furnishings began, which was completed in June 2024.