Submitted by Berrin Chatzi Chousein
National Library of Israel designed by Herzog & de Meuron breaks ground in Jerusalem
Israel Architecture News - Apr 16, 2016 - 16:10 12039 views
Cornerstone laying ceremony for the new National Library of Israel (NLI) complex designed by Herzog & de Meuron took place in April 5, 2016 in Jerusalem in the presence of President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and dignitaries from Israel and abroad. The new National Library building will open its doors to the public in 2020.
Today the National Library of Israel (NLI) published plans for the new NLI complex. The library complex, designed as a LEED platinum sustainable building, will be located in Jerusalem's National District adjacent to the Knesset. The building totals approximately 45,000 sqm. including six above-ground floors comprising 15,000 sqm., and four below-ground floors totaling 30,000 sqm. The project partners are the Government of Israel, the Rothschild family through Yad Hanadiv, and the David and Ruth Gottesman family of New York.
Ruppin daily view. image © Herzog & de Meuron
Designing a new building in Jerusalem juxtaposes the desire to react to the architectural traditions of this historically significant place with the ambition to make a building that is both appropriate for the contemporary city and specific to the immediate site. These challenges frame our proposal for the National Library of Israel. Jerusalem has two primary urban precincts.
view from intersection of Ruppin Boulevard and Kaplan. image © Herzog & de Meuron
The historical center lies to the East while the modern administrative and cultural zone sits among newer development in the West. The dense and highly pedestrianized Old City forms the dominant image of Jerusalem. Unlike the Old City, buildings in the new development are heterogeneous, freestanding, and primarily linked by vehicular traffic. It is in this area that the site for the National Library of Israel is located.
pedestrian sidewalk along Ruppin Boulevard. image © Herzog & de Meuron
The site is a sloped, triangular plot at the intersection of Ruppin Boulevard and Kaplan Street. Located between the Israel Museum to the South and the Knesset to the East, the National Library site is directly between Jerusalem’s most prominent institutions and is an extension of the park-like landscape that weaves through the area. While fully independent, the library will be a link between the cultural and civic buildings around it.
view from Knesset. image © Herzog & de Meuron
A native garden with public space and art will surround the Library and connect the interior functions to the surroundings. Visitors, who come for the cultural experience, mingle with local residents, researchers, and staff who use the Library on a daily basis. Exhibition spaces, eating venues, an auditorium, bookstore, and youth center, all surround the reading room. The diversity of functions and the connection to the city ensure that the Library will remain a strong and vibrant.
Library entrance on Kaplan street.image © Herzog & de Meuron
The design responds to the context and reflects the ambitions of the National Library of Israel. It is open and transparent but grounded in the traditions of great libraries and the city itself. As in the past, books will remain at the center. They form a foundation and necessary balance against constant technological change.
central void & reading room, interior perspective -main entry level. image © Herzog & de Meuron
Books root the building to the ground and are visible to all in a central void. Vitrine-like elements form the bottom two floors and display the Library's content and activities to the street. Above, a carved space containing stone binds the project together and reflects the massive quality of Jerusalem’s historical architecture, the scale of the adjacent buildings and the shape of the site. The stone is not just sculptural.
reading room-interior perspective. image © Herzog & de Meuron
The elevated mass provides shade while its mineral construction adds thermal mass to insulate the interior spaces. The form is strong but humble to its surroundings and the environment.
reading room-interior perspective. image © Herzog & de Meuron
youth centre-perspective view. image © Herzog & de Meuron
auditorium-perspective view.image © Herzog & de Meuron
temporary exhibition space-perspective study. image © Herzog & de Meuron
aerial perspective-view from South with Sculpture Garden
Top Image: West elevation along ruppin boulevard/© Herzog & de Meuron
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