In 2012 Bohemia Amsterdam received an honorable mention for their entry in the Humboldt Forum Design Competition.

1. B2C Strategy & Design Case
Humboldt Forum
& the future of public space
Client:
Bohemia Personnel:
Humboldt Foundation
Marco de Boer
Ramiro Amorena
Silvia Celiberti

2. Situation
The consortium of Aequo (Aat Vos), Bohemia Amsterdam and
van Keulen Bieb Systems was asked to participate in the Limited
Design Competition for the Architectural Corporate Design in
the Humboldt Forum including Orientation System, Service
Furniture, Library and Interior Design.
The new and rebuild Berliner Stadtschloss will be the center
piece of the Museumsinsel (Museum Island). It’ll house the new
Library of Berlin, three collections and a conference centre.
The real challenge is to put these three together and make it
future proof.

3. Target
•
Frame all functions of the future Humboldt Forum in a
contemporary design.
Target group
• Passengers, tourists, citizens of Berlin and end-users of the
Humboldt Forum.

4. Approach
With the rise of the Digital Age the necessity of physical
repositories is debatable. More and more every book, archive
and library is indexed and available on (mobile) screen. The
result is a declining number of visitors, unused and expensive
kilometers of bookshelves.
“By the opening of the Forum in 2020, books might be seen as
outdated, irrelevant and dusty. We better approach the
assignment as the Humboldt Book Museum.”

5. Core of the concept
1/6
Levels of Connection
The visitor of the Humboldt Forum will go through six stages of
connection: Notice - Observe - Inspire - Act - Interact Consume. A diagram shows the triangular relation between
the Number of People, the Levels of Connection and the Time
Spent. For example: On one side many people will see the
building from the outside when passing by. On the other side
only few people will consume information staying in the
reading room for a whole afternoon.

6. Core of the concept
2/6
One Building, One Solution
We propose an overall approach, based on well-defined
principles instead of a desire to create a final static physical
form. An approach that merges functional elements like
information, communication, signing and identity. The building
should stimulate to increase the Level of Connection.
“The passenger must be seduced to go into the Forum and
experience its content.”

7. Core of the concept
Rich Data
Information in whatever form is to interact. We teach ‘data’ to
store personal usage, amount times requested, time looked at.
All of this information is available non-stop and without
restrictions. You can see which book is lent, which area of the
building is densely populated and how many people are at a
conference.
3/6

8. Core of the concept
4/6
‘Museum of Knowledge’
By 2020, books will be rarities. They will become examples of
how it used to be, an example of history. Costs of production,
volume, and paper are simply too high in relation to the profit.
Books are behind glass and shielded from the public. The
complete Humboldt University repository is digitally available
and levered on screen. You can take home everything on
your digital device. You can search the shelves with life-size
screens where each visitor has access and will be able to
navigate. It’s the Seaworld of Literature.

9. Core of the concept
5/6
Focus on Masses of Single Users
Personal preferences determine the usability of the building, the
space and its objects. Upon entering, we are recognized through
face recognition and addressed in a personal manner. Our
presence in combination with our virtual identity helps us find
what we seek in every way, always adapted to our personal
situation. The building is the mainframe.

10. Core of the concept
6/6
‘We Like Popularity Guidance.’
Here’s the contradiction in our existence: We want to be
unique, yet we follow the masses. This is the central thought for
the way the building shows its usage. The level of usage will
be represented in many ways to make it easy for the user to
choose favorites or ignore information.
We have to guide the users throughout the building with a
personal and up-to-date orientation system. It’s in all corridors,
passageways, halls and sections. We make it easy to move and
guide people actively. Navigation is no longer static
information, but a personal message system.

11. Visuals
The future of public space
Concept
Drafts
Designs

12. Concept
Six levels of engagement
in public space

13. Concept
Six levels of engagement
in public space

14. Concept
Information System &
Popularity Guidance

15. Designs
Flexible LED navigation

16. Designs
Information sphere

17. Designs
Interactive wall

18. Exhibition
Panels

19. Exhibition
Panels: Notice & Observe

20. Exhibition
Panels: Inspire & Act

21. Exhibition
Panels: Interact & Consume

22. Results
We're happy to announce that we've received the third prize
with an honorable mention for this prestigious design
competition. The competition (by invitation) was to blend and
design various functions in the newly built Berlin City Palace.
The jury praised our submission for its view on public space and
our conceptual approach of the assignment.
All nine entries were exhibited from 10 to 24 september 2012 at
the Humboldt Box, Schlossplatz 5, Berlijn (D).

23. Change now or be
changed tomorrow.
For more information:
Marco de Boer marco@bohemiaamsterdam.com
Bohemia Amsterdam
Sint Pieterspoortsteeg 23a
1012HM Amsterdam, Netherlands
+31 [0]20 42 33 555
bohemiaamsterdam.com