The House of Librarians is located in the part of Copenhagen called Frederiksberg. Eventhough the area is a part of Copenhagen it constitutes a seperate municipality. Frederiksberg is traditionally known as one of the amusement centers in Copenhagen and has many theaters, cafes and beer gardens. The House of Librarians is designed by the well-known Danish architect Knud Munk, who among other creations is also responsible of the Tycho Brahe Planetarium in central Copenhagen and the public library and cultural center of the town Hørsholm, 20 km's north of Copenhagen.
The building
The building is five stores high and shaped as a cylinder. A comparison with the Round tower of the danish king Christian IV is quite obvious. The bricks used for the building gives you a general impression of solidness and composure. The different coloured bricks, the many patternes in the laying and the variation in the shapes of the windows enriches the house with many details.
The construction
The construction was done by contract of Rasmussen & Schiøtz with the civil engineering company Leif Hansen as main responsible. The building was finished and taken into use on the August, 30 1990. All in all the building contains 1200 squaremeters. The total cost of the construction has been 14 million DKK., which is about 11.500 DKK. per squaremeter.
Decoration
The House of Librarians is decorated by the the Danish artist Anita Jørgensen. Her art is mainly made in neonlights and 3 basic materials: glass, iron and rubber. The theme of her work is: "From the ground into the sky".
Use and contents
Around 25 people employed by the Danish Union of Librarians do their daily work within the building, and many more pay visits to attend meetings and seminars, or to consult the advisers of the union. In addition to offices the house includes meetingrooms, cantine and a library.
The ground floor is occupied by the reception area and the technical facilities (photocopying etc.). In the basement you will find the cloakroom, toilettes, storage rooms and heatins system. The first floor is housed by the professional advisers, dealing with almost all aspects of the working life of librarians. The library and the office of the chairman, the managing director and the accountancy is situated on the second floor, which also contains the membership-administration. The third floor presents the the editors of Bibliotekspressen, the magazine of the union, and the wed-side editors and the event and conference section. The fourth and most spectacular floor is occupied by the cantine and the largest meeting-room (about 90 peaple). On this floor a balcony offers an excellent view of the rooftops in the surrounding Frederiksberg.