Breathtaking Book Mountain library opens for business

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Book Mountain was designed to be a beacon for accessibility of literature and information (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)

The MVRDV-designed Book Mountain public library features a huge glass and timber outer shell (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)

The $39 million project also includes a small housing quarter of 42 units and parking lot (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)

There are commercial units on the ground floor, a children's education center and chess club on the first, offices on the second, an auditorium on the third, a café on the fourth and reading tables at the top (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)

The 85-ft tall outer glass hood makes effective use of natural light by day and gives the impression of an open air setting (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)

The barriers of the terrace walkways also double as shelving for the library's lending collection (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)

The outer walls of the central concrete, steel and brick building and the barriers edging the terrace walkways that support this building's book collection (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)

A reading are at the summit also offers a panoramic view of Spijkenisse (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)

Each level sports ample opportunity to sit back and read (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)

Visitors climb the wide stairway as they explore Book Mountain (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)

Daytime view of the outside of Book Mountain (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)

The internal lighting shining through the glass hood creates something of a spectacle at night for passers-by (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)

The shelving is made of recycled KLP plastic and designed so that titles available for lending are placed within easy reach, and archived collections can be stored above (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)

Lighting positioned above the book cases (and in alcoves and corridors) provides for reading and browsing comfort (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)

One of the library's study nooks allows patrons to get away from the hustle and bustle of Book Mountain (Photo courtesy of MVRDV/Jeroen Musch)

The outer glass shell is supported by timber (Photo courtesy of Lankhorst)

Her Royal Highness Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands officially opens Boekenberg Spijkenisse

Princess Laurentien browsing some of the library's 70,000 titles

Article Summary

Almost ten years after the project began, a new public library described as "a magnificent shop window for knowledge, information and culture that unambiguously promotes the idea of reading day and night" has been officially opened by Her Royal Highness Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands. Designed by MVRDV (which was the cause of some controversy a couple of years back when plans were released for its Cloud skyscraper), Book Mountain in Spijkenisse near Rotterdam features a huge glass and timber outer shell that's home to a five-story, tiered pyramid-like structure with thousands of books stacked on shelves that snake around the outside of its brick walls.

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