The National Library
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The studio’s brief was for the design of a national public library in Beirut. The selected site was in the Matthaf area across from the National Museum. The project process included a group based research on library standards and requirement and a survey of what makes a structure or building a landmark.
The studio also included a class trip to Barcelona emphasizing public spaces in urban contexts. My approach to the project was divided into two parts, programmatic and contextual. Programmatically, the required functions were categorized into three parts, core library spaces, which are spaces essential in defining the identity of a library (stacks, reading spaces, circulation desk, etc…). The second category consists of programs that support the function of the library (administrative, training spaces, etc…) and the last category are spaces that are inherently alien functions to a library but are introduced to expand the use of the facility (coffee shop, exhibition etc…). The intention was to let these categories reflect in the spatial implementation of these spaces. The core functions would inhabit the site and mold into it naturally. It would take up the largest area, whereas the support programs would serve as the physical support system of the main core library and the alien programs would come in and be inserted or injected into the space. Contextually the site is located at one of the entrances of Beirut in a rather culturally rich area. Topographically, the site is slightly sloped and at one end of it, has a rich green area. The intention was to take advantage of that and emphasize the “public space” aspect of the project. The strategy was to introduce a structure that would fit in seamlessly with the physicality of the site, slip in and fit into the slope and create a new open green public space above. Metaphorically and spatially the library becomes a landscape in itself, embedded in the actual landscape of the site. It emphasizes the importance of the library, as a public space and the educational facility, as a core element in the city, in the essential fabric of the city. |