The Royal Library, Copenhagen, Denmark

The extension to the Royal Library is one of the most significant architectural landmarks on the Copenhagen waterfront. Nicknamed The Black Diamond for its black granite cladding, the library extension was the first in a series of large-scale cultural buildings along Copenhagen’s waterfront. Open and democratic, the building includes a café, bookshop, exhibition room, restaurant, scientific and literary institutions, reading rooms, a roof terrace, and a 600-seat hall for concerts, theatrical performances and conferences.