Snøhetta and UniFor launch a new shelving system for future libraries

Together with leading Italian manufacturer of furniture for work environments, UniFor, Snøhetta has designed and developed a new type of shelving system custom-made for libraries in the future. The shelving called Bokhus launches during Milan Design Week on April 17th.

Physical books have long been predicted to be replaced by digital content as society becomes more digitalized. At the same time, libraries' function in society is changing - becoming more of a communal space where people meet and spend time socializing and sharing knowledge. Therefore, creating a space where books are still valued and celebrated is more important than ever.

Research initiated by Snøhetta in 2019 led to a project for a series of objects aiming to both accommodate and help shape the evolution of libraries. The first element in the collection is the Bokhus shelving system, which will be presented at Milano Design Week 2023 at UniFor's headquarters and showroom in Milan.

The goal behind Bokhus was to create a shelf that is not only a book carrier but also adds warmness and finesses to the library space.

"In our first collaboration with UniFor, we have explored the future needs of the library, how libraries will be used in the future, and what their function will be in society. The first result of this exploration is Bokhus, a flexible shelving system. We are excited to be working with UniFor, exploring design and production that cater to future needs in some of society's most important cultural and educational establishments", says Marius Myking, Director of Snøhetta's Product Design team.

Image by: Subdivision Studio, Courtesy of UniFor

 

Lightweight and strong

Both Snøhetta and UniFor have long experience working with libraries and cultural institutions, tailoring solutions to the specific needs of each project. All design choices behind the Bokhus system have ultimately been made to accommodate and celebrate books while at the same time meeting the requirements of modern libraries and their changing role in society. Snøhetta's design has pushed UniFor's engineering capabilities to achieve structural integrity with minimum elements and connections to withstand the heavy load of books. 

The casted connector is an essential piece of Bokhus. It connects the horizontal shelf to the vertical extruded spine and continuously connects the system with electricity through low conductivity - allowing for wireless, flexible programming of the individual wooden shelves. The integrated light illuminates the bookends and adds to the atmosphere of the surrounding space. All design elements, even down to the smallest details, such as the integrated book stops and low conductivity smart-track system, have been carefully designed to cater to efficient book storage, flexibility, and optimal user interference. Bokhus is intended to allow for expansion and new elements to be added in the future. 

Despite the structural integrity and durability of Bokhus, the shelving system is both lightweight and easy to assemble due to the use of aluminum extrusion and refined technical solutions.

Image by: Alessandro Saletta / UniFor

 

Union of simple shapes

The Bokhus shelving system blends Italian craftsmanship and engineering with Scandinavian design's simplicity and tactility. It is a union of simple shapes, intricate details, and skilled use of materials that combines metal's technicality and wood's warmth - the symbiosis between form and function. 

The Bokhus Shelving System is the first step to re-think and modernizing how books are organized in libraries. Snøhetta and UniFor are currently developing a system to integrate a smart wayfinding system through e-ink displays, which will make organizing and tagging books easier for librarians. Furthermore, its clean, lightweight, and transparent aesthetics enhance a more social environment by opening the space. 

"UniFor's collaboration with Snøhetta has been a truly symbiotic partnership, bringing together two leading experts in the fields of library design and furniture systems. Our combined expertise has been crucial in developing a new bookshelf system that meets the needs of modern libraries, offering both functionality and aesthetics”, says Carlo Molteni, Managing Director of UniFor.

Image by: Alessandro Saletta / UniFor

 

Creating, sharing, and storing knowledge

For the launch of the Bokhus shelving system during Salone Del Mobile 2023 in Milan, Snøhetta and UniFor tested ChatGPT as a creative tool. Drawing inspiration from Raymond Queneau's Exercises in Style from 1947, the installation is exploring ChatGPT’s ability to generate specific literary expressions of Bokhus and the world surrounding it.

The installation will demonstrate to visitors the possibility of AI creating content - texts or books - based on pre-generated input in a matter of seconds. The quality of the AI-generated content will naturally vary. However, it will showcase how new technology can help create, share, and store knowledge in the future - accommodating the modern library.

Through a symbiotic collaboration between humans and machines, Snøhetta and UniFor aim to explore new possibilities of co-creation.

Image by: Alessandro Saletta / UniFor
Image by: Alessandro Saletta / UniForImage by: Subdivision Studio, Courtesy of UniFor
Image by: Alessandro Saletta / UniForImage by: Subdivision Studio, Courtesy of UniFor

Press contacts:

  • Snøhetta: Morten Moum - mortenm@snohetta.com
  • UniFor: Simona Giroldini - sgiroldini@unifor.it

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About Snøhetta

For almost 40 years, Snøhetta has designed some of the world’s most notable public and cultural projects. Snøhetta kick-started its career in 1989 with the competition-winning entry for the new library of Alexandria, Egypt. This was later followed by the commission for the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet in Oslo, and the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion at the World Trade Center in New York City, among many others. 

Since its inception, the practice has maintained its original transdisciplinary approach, and often integrates a combination of architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, product design and art across its projects. The collaborative nature between Snøhetta's different disciplines is an essential driving force of the practice.

Today, Snøhetta has a global presence, with studios in seven locations spanning from Oslo to Paris, Innsbruck, New York, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Melbourne.

Snøhetta is currently working on a wide range of international projects, including the Shanghai Grand Opera House, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Dakota, Harbourside redevelopment in Sydney and La Croisette in Cannes, to name a few. 

Recently completed works include Vertikal Nydalen in Oslo, Beijing City Library, the renovation of Musée national de la Marine in Paris, Orionis - the planetarium and observatory of Douai, Airside in Hong Kong, Esbjerg Maritime Center in Denmark, 550 Madison Garden and Revitalization in New York, as well as Volum lamps for Lodes.

Some of Snøhetta's previous projects include Ordrupgaard Art Museum expansion in Denmark, the Cornell University Executive Education Center and Hotel in New York City, Le Monde Group Headquarters in Paris, including the wayfinding and signage, Europe’s first underwater restaurant, Under, the redesign of the public space in Times Square, the expansion to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Lascaux IV: The International Centre for Cave Art, Powerhouse Brattørkaia and design for Norway’s new banknotes.

Snøhetta’s working method simultaneously explores traditional handicraft and cutting-edge digital technology. At the heart of all Snøhetta’s work lies a commitment to social and environmental sustainability, shaping the built environment and design in the service of humanism. Every project is designed with strong, meaningful concepts in mind – concepts that can translate the ethos of its users and their context.

Among many recognitions, Snøhetta has been awarded the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award for the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and the Aga Kahn Prize for Architecture for the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. In 2016, Snøhetta was named Wall Street Journal Magazine's Architecture Innovator of the Year, and the practice has been named one of the world’s most innovative companies by Fast Company two years in a row. In 2020, Snøhetta was awarded the National Design Award for Architecture, bestowed by Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. In 2021 and 2022, Snøhetta’s Forite tiles won the Sustainable Design of the Year by Dezeen and Best Domestic Design by Wallpaper* in 2022, and the wayfinding system for Le Monde Group Headquarters was acknowledged with Monocle Design Awards. In 2023, Snøhetta won a number of awards for the Esbjerg Maritime Center and was named Architects of the Year at the Monocle Design Awards, in 2024 included a number of awards to Beijing Library and the BIA 2024 Award to Snøhetta and in 2025, Snøhetta was recognized with the OPAL Special Award for Sustainability, among others. 

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