© Sindre Ellingsen
With their new library in the coastal town of Grimstad, southern Norway, Helen & Hard Architects have created a building of complex form for a mixture of uses. The almost flat roof is pitched at a slightly steeper angle at the south-east and north-west corners and slopes down in a protective gesture. Along the ridge, a roof-light strip allows daylight to enter the reading room and accentuates the linear form of the structure. The long facades, fanned out in parallel vertical strips, lend the building an animated appearance, particularly on the harbour side.