Erick van Egeraat’s ‘National Library Kazan’ exhibited at Architecture Biennale in Venice

This is the first time someone else’s photos are published on this blog. Budapest should be thankful for the Erick van Egeraat team, that’s why. 

Erick van Egeraat’s project “Tatarstan National Library in Kazan” will be exhibited at the 11th Architecture Biennale in Venice. The National Library is one of the most striking projects characterizing the new era of development and prosperity of contemporary Russia, especially in the region of Tatarstan.

The National Library will be part of the exhibition in the Russian pavilion called ‘The Chess Game. Tournament for Russia’, curated by Grigory Revzin and Pavel Khoroshilov. For the first time at the Architecture Biennale in Venice, Russia will present real architecture instead of conceptual ideas, mention the curators in their statement. “It is an attempt to diagnose what is happening”.

 

In 2007, Erick van Egeraat’s design won first prize in an international competition for the “best concept design of the National Library of the Republic Tatarstan and the development of the city quarter”. Erick van Egeraat designed the building as an extension of the city centre. “The building becomes part of the public domain, a portal between the city and the library, a place where the collective and cultural qualities of downtown spaces are combined.”

Besides offering all traditional facilities of a state library, Erick van Egeraat proposes to redefine the image of a National Library. “Where others come across somewhat closed, I want to open the building to the public via a diversity in public and commercial functions”.

The complex, situated on a hillside, offers a mixture of functions in which it is a welcome extension to the city centre. The “library quarter” will include a book depository for 5 million books and commercial functions such as headquarters of the National Bank, retail, cafes and luxury apartments. Two green roofs, designed as city parks, are made accessible to the public. The total project size, including underground parking for the entire complex, equals a built-up area of 140 000 m2.

The 11th Architecture Biennale in Venice will take place from 14 September until 23 November 2008.