Grófarhús library

The City of Reykjavík envisions an inclusive transformation of its central library: a welcoming place where everyone can find support, connection, tranquillity, and inspiration. Housed in a former warehouse dating back to 1930, the building has undergone multiple alterations and extensions over the years. Our proposal reimagines this fragmented and layered complex as an open and coherent house for learning, making, and collective engagement – rooted in and shaped by the local community. A clear and continuous spatial route, conceived as an interior public street – the Vitavegur — organizes the building and enhances orientation. It meanders through the programme, connecting spaces and users, and ultimately leads to a café and auditorium on the top floor. The route acts as an extension of the public realm, inviting passersby into the life of the library.