Bad Vilbel’s municipal authorities have killed two birds with one stone: The small town north of Frankfurt/Main needed a bridge and a new library, but there were funds for only one of the two projects. So as not to forgo one of them it decided on an ingenious combination of bridge and library and had a library bridge built. Munich office Demmel und Hadler Architekten is the brain behind the design. The block-shaped building with a wrap-around glass louvre façade crosses the small river known as Nidda. Not only does the building’s broad outdoor area link the town’s central square with the area on the opposite river bank, simultaneously this outside area bridging the Nidda serves as a terrace for the café, which is located on the library’s ground floor.

Hollow floor by the Lindner Group with high maximum load

Some 45,000 media items had to be housed in the library bridge. This required a floor that would withstand the extreme weight of the book shelves. Demmel and Hadler Architekten opted for the Lindner Group’s “FLOOR and more® power” hollow floor system, which consists of seamless gypsum fiberboards and a substructure with tailor-made hollow floor pedestals. Slight unevenness can be easily compensated for as the height of the metal pedestals can be infinitely adjusted. The hollow space between the base course and the slab ceiling offers space for electrical and computer cables but also heating and ventilation. In other words, all such technical equipment remains concealed beneath the gypsum fiberboards, giving the architects maximum freedom in designing the interior. On the top floor, for example, spacious reading areas with comfortable chairs invite guests to make themselves comfy, read and enjoy the view out over the river.

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