National library of Jerusalem Naama Blonder Misha Bereznyak

The Wall of Knowledge

National Library of Israel Competition

2012

Concept

ordinary book shelves

The Wall of Knowledge The National Library has a rich collection of texts in Judaism, Israeli culture and Muslim culture. A main reason for moving the Library to a new location outside the Hebrew University is to make its collections more accessible.

A leading concept was to symbolically democratize Everything is spread this academically oriented institution, by visually in front of you on one wall; all you need to do presenting its treasures to the visitors. In the main hall, they are all spread in front of you. is reach it

A view to the main hall

The Site

The outdoor courtyard

The Courtyard The entrance to the library is through a covered yard. The yard has a variety of programmatic functions, it is the center of activity within the complex. The courtyard connects the upper and lower sides of the lot and allows access to the building from both sides.

In the courtyard one experiences the stone envelope most strongly.

It is a pleasant space to hang out, with lots of light in the winter and enough shadow in the summer.

Stone Envelope Detail

A

A

Differences in daylight through the seasons and time of day

Ground floor plan +0.00

A view to the main hall

The stone envelope Stone has always characterized the built environment of Jerusalem. Different sections of the building are wrapped in an envelope made of stones. They are positioned in a way that controls the infiltration of light in regards to both seasonal change and times of day.

Large openings allow views to the other centers of knowledge and culture of the area.

Section A-A

A view to the main hall

Wall of knowledge Circulation

Auditorium

Public reading hall

Seminar rooms

Private reading rooms

Courtyards and classrooms

Administration

Cafe