Bethaniëndwarsstraat 6d 1012 CB Amsterdam
project image
National Library of Czech Republic
Prague - shortlisted
The main public space of the library occupies the whole top floor of the building. A public piazza measuring 85 meter by 85 meter, offering – at 22 meter above street level - a view of the city of Prague in all its magnificent beauty. This modern Forum contains – organised as a continues free floor plan - the entrance lounge, catalogue space, restaurants, and an open reading space. From this public space one can descend (by various means and limited by different security limitations) to the reading rooms, archives, and other spaces of the library. Conceptually speaking the library consists of a light public space (space of urban and social interaction), which is being supported by a heavy mass of books (space of knowledge). It can be visualized by the image of a child who is stacking some heavy books and climb on top of them in order to get a better view… and then start to read them.