PRAGUE NATIONAL LIBRARY

The National Library of the Czech Republic is tasked with representing the collective identity of the young nation. The best visual representation of the Czech identity, is the very image of Prague with its monuments. Following this line of thinking, the public heart of the building is placed on the top floor, from which the panoramic entrance with a view of the city is planned. A veritable 85-meter-sided plaza, capable of offering, at 22 meters above street level, a 360° view of the city. From this modern “hole” that is the library’s large foyer, one descends to the reading rooms, archives, and ancillary spaces. The perimeter of the building is entirely covered with a glazed skin, which on the upper floor is totally transparent, while on the lower floors dense silkscreens taken from Czech literature manifest on the outside what is preserved and protected inside the library. The juxtaposition of the public, light and transparent part placed above (urban and interaction space), and the heavy body as a large container of books (knowledge space) occurs within one large parallelepiped volume that defines the perception of the building on the territory.