The library as a “third place”: Essen Central Library becomes a cultural hub with an interior designed by MVRDV and includi

The new Essen Central Library in Germany, with an interior designed by MVRDV and includi in collaboration with Meyer Architekten, will open its doors on Saturday, 24th October 2026. With the library relocating to a more central place in the city, the 10,000 m², six-storey interior transformation of a former department store became an opportunity to redefine the library’s relationship with the public. The new library is conceived as a “third place” for the city, using bookshelves as building blocks that define different spaces for a variety of visitors, alongside an activated interior façade.

The relocation of the central library from its previous location beside the train station to the Boeckerhaus, a former department store on Kennedyplatz in the heart of the city, is a key project for the City of Essen. The Boeckerhaus is well known for housing books and media, having been home to the Mayersche book store until 2017. Its transformation will establish a vibrant cultural and educational hub in the city centre.

Reflecting on the history and development of libraries as an institution, the collaborating design firms considered how libraries have transitioned over centuries: from their beginnings as monuments accessed by the very few, they became repositories of information for a broad audience. Now, in the information age, they are experiencing another change, with less emphasis on their role as a definitive archive, and more on their role as spaces of interaction, exchange, and learning. Informed by a series of workshops with library staff to define the future identity of the library, MVRDV, includi, and Meyer Architekten developed the interior concept for the new central library following sociologist Ray Oldenburg’s theory of the third place: a social environment beyond the first place (home) and the second place (work or school). The new Central Library will be an inclusive, welcoming environment that can serve as a social and cultural hub in the everyday life of Esseners of all stripes and ages.

“Of all the building functions out there, the library is possibly the one that has had the biggest challenges to adapt to the new millennium”, says MVRDV partner Fokke Moerel. “Essen Central Library offers a response to this challenge. The library remains an important civic building, yet it offers much more than just a place to find books – it becomes a living room that is open and inviting for all of Essen’s diverse citizens. It offers a solution to the social atomisation and isolation that has also been growing in the past decades.”

“For us, the human and social dimension of the design was central,” says Aat Vos, creative director of includi and an expert in third place libraries. “How do you make people feel welcome and allow them to use the space in their own way? We translated this, among other things, into a landscape of seating, places to spend time, and workspaces at different heights along the façade. The façade thus becomes more than a boundary between the library and the city: it becomes a stage for everyday life. Ultimately, it is the visitors who bring the place to life.”

The interior concept is built around two complementary principles: making the media collection more concentrated and identifiable, and making people and their activities visible. The design uses the basic element of the library, the bookshelf, to define unique spaces for different uses. Every floor has multiple clusters of bookshelves, known as media villages, each with an individual identity and purpose: from the soft play space in a cluster of circular bookshelves on the first floor, to the cross-shaped gaming cluster for teens on the second, and to the scattered rooms for hobby activities on the third floor. These clusters are defined by red-coloured bookshelves, with more vibrant tones on the lower floors, where activities tend to be more energetic and communal, and a calmer palette on the upper floors, where activities are more private and contemplative.

Supporting these activity clusters is the library’s second key design element, the activated façade: a continuous landscape of seating, lounging, and working areas at different heights. The perimeter of each floor is wrapped in a continuous ribbon that incorporates study spaces, hangout zones, play areas, viewing spots, and plant pots. These elements remain visible from the outside, allowing the activities taking place within the library to become part of its expression towards the city. Designed with a warm and inviting wood finish and natural tones, this feature ensures that library users are never far from a spot where they can relax, socialise, or focus – whatever their present needs. These places also invite people to spend time in the library without a specific purpose or needing to use the collection. The activated façade acts as an interface between the city and the library, connecting the public realm with the everyday experience of the library users. The different heights and uses create a lively view of people reading, working, talking, or relaxing, with visitors adding even more character to the space.

In order to support the library’s diverse cultural and social functions, the design gives particular attention to providing a welcoming environment and clear orientation. On the ground floor a café invites people inside, while the building’s central atrium helps to lead them upwards, with clearly identifiable blue-coloured orientation points on each landing. A bespoke wayfinding design developed by MVRDV ensures that users can always figure out where they belong.

On the ground and upper floors, visitors can explore a wide range of media and literature, from a children’s and family library to fiction, international books, audiobooks and film. A strong emphasis is placed on collaborative experimentation and hands-on activities, with makerspaces, rehearsal rooms to practice music, and equipment such as 3D printers, VR technology and robotics. At the same time, quieter areas offer space for focused studying and individual work. Flexible spaces allow for both individual learning and collaborative, interactive workshops. On the top floor, the recently added “Stadt Raum” creates a venue for events with panoramic views across the city.

Essen Central Library was designed by MVRDV and includi (specialist in third place design), in collaboration with Meyer Architekten (local architect).