The library concept
Deep in a quiet place; Far from the congested city; underneath the ground line; in silence; the library is excavated beneath the water in order to create a unique and different atmosphere to all its visitors to acquire knowledge. Consequently, this allowed leaving the ground level totally for social interaction and the public to enjoy the gathering landscape spaces and the scenery of water waves playing with the cubic wave breakers and the floating chambers. From the deep ocean up to the blue sky, a landmark is standing up high, identifying the unique location of the library. It is a witness on the community knowledge. It consists of exhibition walls built up from donated recycled books gathered from the global community. Those collected materials are exhibited inside transparent glass boxes reinforced by translucent concrete that allow the visual connectivity between the outside and the inside. The wall has also multiple and fixable preserved spaces that can host occasional and temporary exhibition Items during the year. At night, this landmark celebrates with the people , it acts as a screen receiving projected artistic lights and images from the cubic white rocks which in turn creates a magnificent night scene with the integration of the emitted light coming up to the sky from the underground courtyards. In addition, it acts as a luminous object emitting light to its surroundings. The perfect reflection of water completes this fabulous scene.
Design team :
- Dr. Mostafa Rabea
- Arch. Mohamad Riad Al Halaby
- Arch. Hazem Saeed