Description

In Riyadh, a city that has grown from fewer than 700,000 inhabitants in 1974 to more than five million in 2013, one cannot speak of a city centre in the traditional sense where pedestrians walk about. Only the areas around the two fortresses of the former small desert city, Musmak and Qasr Al Hokm, are an exception. Many of the city’s important buildings – among them the National Library of Saudi Arabia – are instead situated in an urban strip between the 14-lane King Fahad Road and the parallel 8-lane Olaya Street.
The new library was built on the site of the existing library building from the early 1980s. In a competition in 2002, the entrants were given the choice of preserving or demolishing the old library. Gerber decided to completely integrate the old building with its cross-shaped floor plan and small central dome into the new building. Re-clad with slabs of white marble, this now houses the library’s stacks. A new five-storey square building measuring 140 × 140 metres was then built around it.
The external walls are enveloped by a lightweight framework of multiple small sails that form a three-dimensional pattern, letting in light but shading the interior. It’s delicate structure, cabling and curved sails recall Frei Otto’s tent architecture in Saudi Arabia. Gerber also braces the sails with steel cables on each of the four identical sides of the library, and the construction is located well in front of the glazing to permit cleaning and removal of sand deposits. From inside, one can see out between the curved sails while being almost completely protected from the sun. In Riyadh, outdoor temperatures of up to 50 degrees are not unusual, so the interior is air-conditioned using a combination of layered ventilation and underfloor cooling. At night, the white sails are illuminated and shine brightly, highlighting their sculptural quality. The main entrance on the east side opens onto a new, partially green forecourt. The ground floor zone of the new building is set back several metres behind the façade and is largely glazed.
The new square enclosure around the cruciform old building results in four courtyards, which are used in different ways. The King Fahad Road – previously the old main entrance – is now the entrance for official visits while the new main entrance is located on the opposite side. Two long escalators and a lift tower lead up to the reading rooms, which are distributed across the flat roofs of the four wings of the old building and on the third floor of the new building. The old and new sections are connected by bridges. The result is a level with reading tables, shelves and reading carrels that fills almost the entire space. Incorporated into small freestanding blocks for sanitary facilities and technical equipment are smaller, screened-off reading corners for concentrated study. The roof is made of long strips of plastic membranes and provides an even, glare-free light. A separately accessible library for women is located on the first floor of the new wing. The office areas are placed both alongside the external façades as well as adjoining the courtyards.

Originally published in Bauwelt  43.2013, pp. 22-31, abridged and edited for Building Types online, translated by Julian Reisenberger

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