Library Buildings around the World

political resource and lobbying organization. The Institute is among the most prestigious in the state and is alo recognized
nationally for its efforts. Each year the institute hosts a national forum dedicated to the most pressing contemporary issues
affecting the world and in particular North Carolina. The building houses a large gallery dedicated to social and political
issues affecting North Carolina as well as a changing exhibition area. A large common foyer joins the many institutions
together and leads from the Oval level down to the lower garden connecting the building to the western portions of
Centennial campus. The general character of the building opens up towards the terracing terrain and the nearby Lake
Raleigh. Local industry has in the past been based upon the textile arts and the current campus houses one of the country´s
most prominent textile manufacture and the building seems to weave itself through the landscape. (Snøhetta )
King Abdulaziz Center for Knowledge and Culture, Dhahran – Saudia Arabia 2011
The King Abdulaziz Center for Knowledge and Culture is a bold new initiative on the part of the Saudi Aramco Oil
Company to promote cultural development within the Kingdom. Following an invited architectural design competition in
2007 Snøhetta has been selected to design this prestigious cultural facility. Located in Dhahran in the Eastern Province the
Cultural Center will provide for a wide range of activities serving the local population and becoming a cultural landmark on
both a regional, national and global horizon. When completed, the project will contain some 50 000m2 of diverse cultural
facilities, including an auditorium, cinema, library, exhibition hall, museum and archive. The auditorium will seat 1000
visitors and will provide for a wide range of events ranging from opera, symphony concerts, musicals and speeches etc.
Together with the smaller cinema, this will be an unrivalled venue for the performing arts in the Kingdom. The library will
become a center of learning containing some 300 000 books on open access and catering for all ages and categories of users.
The great exhibition hall will accommodate large scale travelling exhibitions, as well as providing the setting for social
events, banquets and conferences. The museum and archive facilities connect the vibrant cultural life of the center to the
past and to the very roots of the society from which this center is conceived. On May 20th 2008 The foundation stone was
laid by King Abdullah, the Cultual Center will be completed in 2011. (Snøhetta)
The King Abdulaziz Center for Knowledge and Culture is a bold new initiative on the part of the Saudi Aramco Oil
Company to promote cultural development within the Kingdom. Following an invited architectural design competition in
2007 Snøhetta has been selected to design this prestigious cultural facilities, including an auditorium, cinema, library,
exhibition hall, museum and archive. Located in Dhahran in the Eastern Province the King Abdulaziz Cultural Center will
provide for a wide range of activities serving the local population and becoming a cultural landmark on both a regional,
national and global horizon. When completed, the project will contain some 45 000m2 of diverse cultural facilities, including
an auditorium, cinema, library, exhibition hall, museum and archive. The King Abdulaziz Center for Knowledge and
Culture auditorium will seat 1000 visitors and will provide for a wide range of events ranging from opera, symphony
concerts, musicals and speeches etc. Together with the smaller cinema, this will be an unrivalled venue for the performing
arts in the Kingdom. The King Abdulaziz library will become a center of learning containing some 300 000 books on open
access and catering for all ages and categories of users. The great exhibition hall will accommodate large scale travelling
exhibitions,as well as providing the setting for social events, banquets and conferences. The museum and archive facilities
connect the vibrant cultural life of the center to the past and to the very roots of the society from which this center is
conceived. On May 20th 2008 The foundation stone was laid by King Abdullah, the Cultual Center will be completed in 2011.
The architectural concept is based upon the following six principles:
The Past and the Future
Culture grows out of the past, without culture no community or company can create a future. The design for the Saudi
Aramco Cultural Center embraces both past and future, captured in the present. Both in terms of architectural expression
and internal logic this proposal digs down into the past and reaches up in to the future.
Introvert and Extrovert
The King Abdulaziz Center for Knowledge and Culture concept is both introverted and extroverted. Below grade the
museum and archive functions are grouped around the inner void looking inwards to the truths and knowledge to be found
within Saudi Aramco and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Above grade, the composition reaches out of the ground, connecting
to the world beyond.
Repository and Beacon
Located below grade the Museum and Archive becomes a true repository of knowledge, in protective surroundings and
stored for posterity. In contrast the Library, Children’s Exhibit and Visitor Centre are expressed as beacons to scholars
cross the world.
Diversity and Unity
This design takes the form of a complex composition, consisting of a number of individual and discrete components. Balance
and harmony is created through interdependence. Each component is fashioned as a unique and tailor- made entity,
conforming to and expressive of its own individual needs and requirements.
Teamwork
No one component can be removed. All are interdependent and rely upon each other. The resulting composition is an
expression of team work. Each part can be endlessly adjusted to suit the individual and specific needs. This form for
flexibility is not general or universal, but specific and individual.
Energy
The balance and harmony of the King Abdulaziz Center for Knowledge and Culture composition is not static, but dynamic,
expressive of the team work and above all of the energy to be found in the people that comprise Saudi Aramco and Saudi
Arabia. Evoking wonder and bearing memory of the steadfast endurance and hard labour under severe conditions in the
pioneer striking of oil. (http://www.e-architekt.co.uk)
Alexandria Library, Alexandria – Egypt 2002
Scope: Full Contract, Size: 80,000 m2, Client: Ministry of Education, Schedule: 1st prize int. comp., built 2001
In 2002 the new library of Alexandria in Egypt reopened its doors for the first time in nearly 2000 years. The culmination of
an international effort lasting over 12 years, the library is one of the most contemporary in the world. In its over 800,000
square feet a range of museums and public assembly areas can also be found. Despite its large size, the building often feels
humane and intimate in scale, while also having an atmosphere of dignity and calm repose. Outside of the library a large
reflecting pool and public plaza link the building to the nearby Mediterranean and the city of Alexandria. The pools help to
cool the area around the building and naturally collect dust to clean the air near the building. The building’s unusual tilting
form links the architecture directly with the landscape creating a unifying atmosphere that extends into the interior of the
building. The building and grounds change atmosphere throughout the day and seasons. The water, vegetation and shape of
the building help allay the sound of the nearby busy streets, creating a calm and comfortable, yet public and open space for
those visiting the building and those simply passing by. (Snøhetta)
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