 |
 |
Invited as one of five pre-selected architect-led teams that included Lord Norman Foster and Zaha Hadid, Copenhagen-based BIG was awarded first prize in an international design competition for the new National Library in Astana, Kazakhstan. The 33,000-square-meter facility will be organized as a “circular loop of knowledge” that allows for clear, intuitive orientation of the vast collection that will populate the shelves of the library. The building form is composed of two interlocking structures—a circle and a spiral—that will be wrapped in a continuous skin, creating a Möbius strip volume where the facades move from inside to outside and back again. At the heart of the building will be a domed courtyard.
Related Stories
| May 24, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: Security and the built environment: Insights from an embassy designer
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), embassy designer Tom Jacobs explores ways that provide the needed protection while keeping intact the representational and inspirational qualities of a design.
Cultural Facilities | Apr 16, 2018
Best in library design 2018: Six projects earn AIA/ALA library awards
Austin Central Library and the Tulsa City-County Central Library are among the top projects for 2018.
Performing Arts Centers | Feb 20, 2018
Citrus trees inspired the design of this half-billion-dollar performing arts center
SPF:architects designed the complex.
Cultural Facilities | Jan 23, 2018
BIG reveals revised Smithsonian Campus master plan
The original proposal was first unveiled in 2014.
Mixed-Use | Dec 12, 2017
A new live/work neighborhood is about to get under way in Omaha, Neb.
Walkability and recreation will be key features of West Farm.
Cultural Facilities | Nov 2, 2017
Perkins Eastman wins competition to redesign San Francisco’s Harvey Milk Plaza
The Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza unanimously selected the Perkins Eastman entry as the winner.
Museums | Oct 3, 2017
Denmark’s new LEGO experience hub looks like it’s made out of giant LEGO blocks
The 12,000-sm building is part of Billund, Denmark’s goal to become the ‘Capital for Children.’
Museums | Aug 15, 2017
Underground Railroad Visitor Center tells story of oppression, then freedom
The museum is conceived as a series of abstracted forms made up of two main structures, one administrative and one exhibit.
Cultural Facilities | Jul 13, 2017
A WWII bunker becomes a museum along Denmark’s coast
BIG’s design of this cultural center is the “antithesis” of the fortress.
Museums | Jul 5, 2017
Addition by subtraction: Art Share L.A. renovation strips away its acquired superfluity
The redesign of the 28,000-sf building is prioritizing flexibility, openness, and connectivity.
