in the shade of pyramids | Drozdov & Partners

The place chosen for the library has a unique value for this high-density neighbourhood. On the one hand, it accesses the main thoroughfare connecting this district with the city centre. On the other hand, it is adjoined by public buildings (church, shops). With a new library here, this place will definitely acquire status of the public centre of the whole neighbourhood. In this respect, one of our objectives was to ensure maximum preservation of the green areas, while creating an utterly concentrated public facility. As a solution to this task, as well as a response to the subtropical climate with heavy rainfalls and active insolation, we come forward with a building which creates a deep ventilated shade over the public area, provides rain protection and occupies minimum space on the ground level. The inverted pyramid silhouette accentuates this place and distinguishes it from the surrounding commercial and residential development. This boosts the identity of the place, as an important component of the local social infrastructure. Compositionally, the building consists of two parts: underground and overground. The underground part houses archive, preservation room, classrooms, café, and multipurpose room. This part of the building has an additional entrance, which adjoins the amphitheatre. The overground part is represented by two inverted pyramids that are grown together. Inside this spectacular volume, the main premises of the library are located around the atrium. Functional blocks increase in size as they ascend upwards, resulting in a roof terrace. The main volume, made up of two “inosculated” inverted pyramids, helps us to increase the public space by 70%. As the building occupies minimum space on the ground level, offsetting it with a roof garden, the place accumulates pedestrian flows without obstructing them. As for the traffic, its access to the building is managed via two small glass “kiosks”: one is the entrance to the automatic parking, while the other provides for truck deliveries. Two main entrances to the building – public and staff-only – are located in two different supporting “trunks” of the volume, being connected with the main circulation verticals. The public entrance is equipped with a staircase and a panoramic inclined elevator that unites all the floors of the library and goes up to the roof garden. Visitors can freely get from the ground level to the roof terrace, where an additional public space is created. Therefore, there emerges an unimpeded connection between the public zone around the building and the roof-top public space of the library. The main lobby, as well as reception and offices are located on the first floor. The lobby itself lies at the bottom of the flared open atrium of the library. All the premises enjoy natural light. As the day-light openings are placed at the top, the incoming light can be easily regulated. The main multifunctional reading halls of the library are all located around the atrium on the second and third floors. The second floor also accommodates children’s space with all the required premises, whereas the general collection room is situated on the third floor. All the floors of the library have access to the roof. When the weather is good, visitors can enjoy reading in the open air, sitting on the grass or on the benches placed along the roof edge, overlooking the mountain scenery. The inner space of the library is organized around the open atrium, around which all the main corridors with reading desks are located. Two rows of bookcases run along the perimeter of the building, without creating unnecessary obstacles for circulation. The librarians’ desks are placed near the elevator. The library has several premises that can serve venues for various events of local and city-wide importance. Concerts and performances can be held in the atrium of the library, in the lower amphitheatre, multifunctional room, on the roof, or at the very entrance of the library. Book fairs and other events can take place in the shade around the building. The entire scheme is equally compact and effective. The main surfaces of the building are protected from direct sun rays, which saves them from overheating. Almost all the premises of the library enjoy natural light: both on the ground and top levels. Such factors as automatic regulation of the incoming day-light, and passive ventilation inside the open atrium reduce air-conditioning costs. Besides, reed beds located on the roof collect rainwater and have an overflow into the storm water sewer, with an underground reservoir. The outer shell is made of pine-wood panels (1200х750mm) resembling the bark. Due to the form of the building, its elements are all protected from precipitation and ultra-violet rays. The outer shell has a noise-absorbing effect, which is important when public events are held outside the building. The parapets in the reading hall are made of pine-wood bars, ensuring favourable acoustic effect. The spatial rigidity of the building is ensured due the combined work of the frame, the walls, the lower and the upper bracing rings. The roof structure is made of interconnected girders with triangular cross-section. Thanks to the combination of spectacular and traditional features, this architectural proposal will be easily incorporated into the urban landscape. We hope that this building will become an umbrella-like incubator for the buoyant public activity in the entire neighbourhood.