Borgarbókasafnið Grófinni

The Reykjavik City Library occupies a building defined by its thick, charcoal-colored concrete walls and deep-set windows that create a heavy, fortress-like silhouette against the harbor. Before this site became a hub for readers, it housed a warehouse for a major electrical supply company. In nineteen ninety-eight, the city completed a radical renovation, stripping the industrial interior to expose high, vaulted ceilings and long, airy corridors. A rusted iron crane still hangs suspended in the atrium, a relic from its days of moving heavy cargo.