The National Library of Israel contains over 5 million books, including the largest collection of books in Hebrew. The library dates back to the end of the 19th century, and it received national status in 2007. Now a project is being implemented to update it and turn it into a "library of the XXI century", "open and accessible to the general public of all classes, nationalities and confessions."
The new building of the library will combine several functions: it will house a research center, a space for cultural and educational events, a hall for the use of digital technologies, premises for the administration; underground book storage and parking will be located. The area of the new building will be 34 thousand m2, it will have 6 above-ground floors (15,000 m2) and 4 underground (19,000 m2). The project is designed around the principles of "sustainability" and aims to minimize the energy consumption in the building.
The idea of the architects is an elegant light building of golden stone and glass. Due to the glass facade of the lower part (the so-called showcases), the library acquires lightness, transparent walls create the effect of a huge "stone" hovering above the ground in the upper half of the building. This "flight" is supported by a strict but graceful upper shape with angles that tend upward.
The lower, glazed half will house shelves and a reading room. In the upper, stone part, a public space is planned for “interaction between library visitors and users”. A huge oval window is provided in the center of the roof, which will provide daylight to this room.
Construction should begin in 2016 and be completed by 2019. The new library will be located in the center of Jerusalem, in the Kiryat HaLeom district, close to the Knesset, the Israel Museum, the Science Museum, the Hebrew University and the Supreme Court building.
