This thesis investigates how the National Library of the Netherlands (KB) in The Hague can strengthen its relationship with local communities by reorganising its spatial structure around informal learning spaces (ILS). Defined as learner-led and flexible environments, ILS support self-directed study, social interaction, and everyday civic encounter. The study argues that informal learning is a crucial dimension of lifelong learning and reframes the “local community” of a national library not as a fixed demographic group, but as a hybrid public formed through repeated use, inclusive access, and shared spatial experience.

The research combines comparative case studies, spatial analysis across interior, building, and urban scales, and user-based investigation including a survey and social media observation. While the methodological framework informs the study, the main emphasis lies in identifying how spatial design can better support the everyday needs and expectations of library users.

The findings reveal a clear tension between KB’s current spatial condition and users’ expectations. Participants consistently expressed the need for quieter and more comfortable study environments, sufficient individual workspaces, and better everyday facilities. At the same time, they showed strong interest in more social and accessible spaces, including cafés, informal gathering areas, and green outdoor environments. These needs suggest that the national library must operate not only as a repository of knowledge, but also as an inclusive social infrastructure that supports a wider spectrum of informal learning practices.

In response, the thesis develops a set of spatial criteria for integrating five types of ILS within the national library. This framework is translated into a design proposal summarised as “breaking the ice”: opening the library through a new public entrance and route that connects a sequence of informal learning spaces throughout the building. Organised around a central stair conceived as a learning spine, the proposal culminates in a publicly accessible digital manuscript museum, where KB’s behind-the-scenes heritage work becomes visible as a form of informal learning. Through this strategy, the project reimagines the national library as a more open, participatory, and community-oriented civic institution.

This research explores how lighting landscapes can be strategically designed in future library environments to stimulate user-driven knowledge acquisition and cognitive performance, with a specific focus on the Royal Library in The Hague (KB) as a case study. Throughout history, libraries have evolved from static, exclusive book repositories into dynamic, public learning environments. Central to this transformation is the role of light, which is not just a source of illumination, but also a spatial and neurological stimulant influencing cognition, engagement and user experience.
Despite growing interest in lighting’s psychological effects, its integration as a cognitive tool in library design remains underexplored, particularly in heritage settings such as the KB. This thesis addresses that gap by asking: How can the lighting landscape be designed to stimulate user-driven knowledge acquisition and cognitive performance in the ‘Future Library’?
The study adopts a hybrid theoretical framework informed by neuroscience, architecture, and lighting design. It explores how light affects cogntive performance and knowledge acquisition and how spatial lighting conditions can shape user experience. A mixed-method approach was used, including literature review, empirical research, and design-oriented research.
Findings show that both natural and artificial lighting strongly influence circadian rhythms and cognitive states. Stable light and dark cycles, access to layered views, and lighting systems combining ambient, task, and accent lighting were found to enhance cognitive performance. Other key themes include glare reduction, spatial zoning, and the value of user-controlled lighting.
The outcome of this study is an evidence-based library lighting framework that offers research-informed strategies for designing cognitively responsive library environments. The framework prioritises orientation, spatial form, building openings, daylight controls, artificial lighting quality, and user autonomy.
This thesis ultimately demonstrates that lighting must be treated not merely as a technical or aesthetic feature but as a foundational design element, one that can actively support knowledge acquisition and cognitive performance in the library of the future.

Originally designed in the 1980s as an archive in a non-public context, the Netherlands’ National Library (KB) has become increasingly disconnected from its surroundings as the city around it transformed. With the future introduction of “the Haagse Loper”, a vibrant public route from the center of The Hague to the fringe of the city, and the relocation of the archive to an off-site repository, the library faces an interesting challenge.
This design in response is based on three different strategies to guide the redesign of the National Library. The first strategy focuses on optimizing the existing. By adjusting the building volume and reorganizing the internal distribution of functions, optimizing the use of the library.
The second strategy introduces a program that actively reconnects the KB’s collection with its users. By implementing makerspaces, such as an expansion of the KBAtelier, a lab for translating the collection’s heritage into tangible projects, the program shifts from passive knowledge consumption to active knowledge creation.
The third strategy relies on the introduction of a flexible system that ensures long-term adaptability. Designed as an open framework rather than a fixed program, this layer allows functions, users, and technologies to change over time while the existing structure remains intact.
Together, these three strategies revitalize the National Library of the Netherlands from an introverted archive to an open public institution. By optimizing the existing structure, reactivating the relationship between the collection and its users, and adapting long-term flexibility, the redesign reconnects the National Library to the urban context and enlarges its public role.

The ongoing digitalization of libraries has transformed the KB from a traditional physical book repository into a hybrid space prioritizing online accessibility. This shift, while expanding the KB's reach and preservation capability, raises questions about the future of physical engagement with Dutch heritage materials. This research examines the implications of relocating the KB’s entire physical collection to an off-site automated repository and developments in the KB’s urban and architectural context.
The study highlights the risk of reducing spontaneous interaction and social relevance as digitalization and physical separation increase. Through an analysis of existing services and case studies, different categories of displaying physical heritage materials are explored to enhance physical public engagement, offering a preliminary framework for the KB’s evolution in a digital age.

Libraries serve as vital social, cultural, and educational centers; however, their design frequently does not meet the needs of users with sensory impairments. Although ramps and elevators enhance physical accessibility, the overall sensory experience is primarily visual, which restricts engagement for numerous individuals. Libraries must advance beyond primary accessibility to create environments that engage multiple senses, thereby providing a more enriched and inclusive experience. This study investigates the potential of multisensory accessibility to transform the spatial experience of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB) in The Hague, thereby enhancing its significance as an inclusive and socially engaging cultural landmark. The study asks: “How can libraries be redesigned as resilient environments that foster social inclusivity and user engagement by integrating multisensory accessibility in both physical and digital spaces?” It further examines the sensory and physical barriers neurodiverse and impaired users face and how multisensory design interventions can improve accessibility, wayfinding and user engagement. A qualitative, comparative case study analysis is employed, analyzing the Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam (Netherlands), Helsinki Central Library Oodi (Finland), and Durham County Library (USA), alongside a literature review of existing studies on multisensory accessibility. The hypothesis asserts that the integration of multisensory design within spatial organization and circulation networks can considerably improve the inclusivity, legibility, and user experience of libraries, thereby providing a framework for accessible and inclusive civic architecture.

The role of libraries has undergone significant changes in recent years. They evolved from a static repository into a multifunctional ‘third space’ that fulfils a diverse range of social needs. For a national library such as the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB) in The Hague, this poses a clear challenge: how can the building accommodate more public functions without losing the quiet and research-oriented character that is essential to many users? Therefore, this research focuses on the question: How can spatial strategies within the existing Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB) contribute to an effective balance between research and public needs?
The research combines literature study, case studies, and user data from surveys and interviews. The results show that clear zoning, acoustic separation, variation in workspaces, and better orientation are essential strategies for ensuring that the various functions can coexist effectively. At the same time, it should be noted that the case studies mainly concern public, newly built libraries and therefore do not fully correspond to the situation at the KB. In addition, the user survey only provides insight into the experiences of current visitors, leaving non-users out of the picture. The results of this research form guidelines for the redesign of the KB. They are not fixed solutions, but a basis that needs to be further developed and tested within the context of the existing building and the specific function of the KB.
These guidelines are translated into a design proposal for the transformation of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, in which the building is reimagined as a House of Culture where knowledge, culture and community coexist alongside the KB’s research and heritage functions. Through the application of spatial strategies such as zoning, gradations of public and quiet spaces, and differentiated circulation, the design explores how public programmes can be integrated without compromising the requirements of research and collection use. The proposal is developed within the constraints of the existing building and focuses on reuse and transformation rather than replacement.

This project investigates how the Dutch National Library (KB) can evolve from an introverted archive into an extroverted civic space in an age of digitisation and AI. The research combines three strands: analysis of the existing KB and its heritage values, user research on changing study and work patterns, and spatial modelling with DepthMapX to understand movement and visibility. Together, these methods ask how architecture, technology and behaviour can be aligned to keep a large state library socially relevant.

Findings show that users still value physical presence, atmospheres and chance encounters, but expect more flexibility, visibility of activities and intuitive navigation. The study also reveals that much of the existing KB mass has low social and spatial value, while its structural skeleton and reading hall remain important heritage anchors. The design response therefore proposes selective removal of low value wings, a new public plaza and a lightweight modular façade that adds hybrid workspaces, terraces and green infrastructure around the preserved core. Rather than providing a final blueprint, the project offers a framework of spatial guidelines and technical strategies. It demonstrates how a national library can be reconceived as a porous, data informed and climate responsive platform while building upon its architectural and institutional legacy.

This research looks at how the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB) – the national library of the Netherlands – can be redesigned to better support people with physical disabilities. By improving both its physical spaces and digital services, the goal is to make the KB a more inclusive and welcoming place where everyone can participate fully in library life. As libraries increasingly become community hubs rather than just places to store books, designing for inclusion has never been more important, especially in historic buildings like the KB, where accessibility and preservation often clash.Through a mix of case studies, site visits, and literature review, this research explores how architecture and technology can work together to remove barriers and improve the experience for users with disabilities. It draws inspiration from inclusive libraries like Oodi in Helsinki and Seattle Central Library, and focuses on strategies such as clear navigation, flexible spaces, and built-in assistive technologies. It also highlights the importance of embedding digital tools – like self-checkout stations and library catalogues – directly into the library’s layout so they’re easy to find and use independently. Rather than treating accessibility as a box to check, this thesis argues for a more human-centered approach – one that listens to users, responds to real needs, and sees inclusion not as a limitation, but as an opportunity to rethink what a library can be. In doing so, it aims to show how national libraries like the KB, which safeguard important heritage, can become truly inclusive spaces that bring people together and support a sense of belonging for all.

This research investigates from an atmospheric viewpoint how architectural elements contribute to the creation of distinct soundscapes for quiet work, group work, and leisure zones in a library setting. The goal of this research is to lay the groundwork for decision making in the redesign of the KB, the National Library of the Netherlands. This research is focused on atmospheric qualities of the library typology with a focus on the auditory. Several studies already exist about soundscapes, but these are often set in either urban surroundings or in other building typologies. This research fills that gap in knowledge by focussing on library soundscapes. The study is guided by the central question: “How can the auditory experience of library users be enhanced in redesigning the soundscape for a 21st century library?”. To address this question, the research is structured around three subquestions, the first of which goes as follows: What should a 21st century library’s auditory atmosphere be like according to library users? The second one is: What spatial strategies can enhance a library’s soundscape? Lastly, the third question is: How are these strategies applied in existing libraries to enhance specific soundscapes? The methodology of the first two subquestions is a literature review, while the third is examined through case study analysis. By combining insights from these investigations, this study aims to provide a framework for designing libraries that align with user needs through atmosphere-driven architectural strategies in soundscape design.