The City of Stockholm has held a two-stage architectural competition, the first stage of which was an open international competition to build an extension to the Stockholm Public Library designed by Gunnar Asplund. The intention is that the competition results in a high-class architectonic composition of which the Asplund library is an integral part in a combined library function. The library shall quadruple its public areas and an extension for the reading and learning of today and tomorrow will be built next to the present building with its special qualities and unique values. The library shall be a lively public building open to all round-the-clock and shall stimulate meetings, discussion, literary experiences and study.
The first stage of the competition was completely open and about 6,000 architects from about 120 countries registered for participation. A total of 1,170 proposals were approved and assessed by the jury. From those 1,170 proposals, 6 were chosen to move forward into the second round.
Today, the jury has unanimously decided to give the first prize in the competition to the entry "Delphinium" by Architect Dipl. Ing. Heike Hanada (Laboratory of Art and Architecture, Germany) and recommend it for realization.
The jury has also unanimously decided on the following other prizes and honorary mentions:
Shared 3rd prize:
"Cut" by Paleko Arch Studija, Lithuania and "Dikthornan" by Mauri Korkka of Finland.
Shared 4th prize:
"Blanket" by Stephen Taylor and Dirk Brockmann (Stephen Taylor Architects, U.K.) and "Book Hill" by Jakob Steen Christensen and Jan Yoshiyuki Tanaka (JAJA Architects ApS, Denmark) and "Nosce te ipsum" by Nicola Braghieri (Architetto Nicola Braghieri, Italy).
For the complete jury report and additional information regarding the finalists and honorable mentions, visit the competition website of the Swedish Association of Architects.