City Library Heidenheim / Max Dudler

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Text description provided by the architects. The inner city of Heidenheim is characterised by post-war architecture, which is visually distinct from the historical development of the Old Town. Max Dudler’s new library building is situated on the previously inaccessible property of a former penal institution, which has hitherto manifested the division between the small-scale development in the eastern part of the city and the Old Town. The new city library now connects the two areas: As an urban figure, it reflects the many layers of Heidenheim’s architectural history and the scale of the surrounding area by making proportional reference to the gabled buildings in the adjacent Old Town. Between the two “heads” rising into the sky spans an urban landscape made up of smaller “houses”, the layout of which is oriented on the long structure parallel to it. The transformation of the “organic” city results in a sculptural structure, an urban silhouette. In conjunction with the neighbouring St. Paul’s Church and the old town hall, the new building can be seen both as a solitary object and an integral part of the urban context.