Astana National Library

ASTANA, KAZAKHSTAN

2009

CLIENT

Astana Municipal Administration

TYPOLOGY

Culture

STATUS

IDEA

The new national library of Kazakhstan, named after the first President of the Republic, Nursultan Nazarbayev, encompasses an estimated 33,000 m2.

BIG’s design combines four universal archetypes across space and time into a new national symbol: the circle, the rotunda, the arch and the yurt are merged into the form of a Moebius strip. The clarity of the circle, the courtyard of the rotunda, the gateway of the arch and the soft silhouette of the yurt are combined to create a new national monument appearing local and universal, contemporary and timeless, unique and archetypal at the same time.

The new National Library in Astana, Kazakhstan’s new capital since 1997, had to not only accumulate history but also provide a foundation for new futures for the nation and its new capital.

The library would serve as an intellectual, multifunctional and cultural center, with a primary goal of reflecting the establishment and development of a sovereign Kazakhstan, its political history, and the Head of the State’s activities and role in the development of the country.

Like Astana, which is located in the heart of the Kazakh mainland, the library would be integrated into the heart of a recreated Kazakh landscape. The park around the library is designed like a living library of trees, plants, minerals and rocks allowing visitors to experience a cross section of Kazakhstan’s natural landscape, and personally experience the capital’s transition across the country from Almaty to Astana.

The linear library

The perfect circle

Public spiral

Inside + Outside + Above + Below

Mobius strip

A series of public programs simultaneously wrap the library on the outside and inside, above and below. Twisting the public program into a continuous spiraling path tracing the library on all sides, creates an architectural organization that combines the virtues of all 4 complimenting models. Like a Möbius strip, the public programs move seamlessly from the inside to the outside and from ground to the sky providing spectacular views of the surrounding landscape and growing city skyline.

The 2 interlocking structures: the perfect circle and the public spiral, create a building that transforms from a horizontal
organization where library museum and support functions are placed next to each other, to a vertical organization where they
are stacked on top of each other through a diagonal organization combining vertical hierarchy, horizontal connectivity and
diagonal view lines.

A circular loop of knowledge, surrounded by light and air on both sides. The simplicity and perfection of the infinite circle allows for a crystal clear and intuitive orientation in the vast and growing collection that will populate the shelves of the National Library.

"The envelope of The National Library transcends the traditional architectural categories such as wall and roof. Like a yurt the wall becomes the roof, which becomes floor, which becomes the wall again."

Thomas Christoffersen — Partner, BIG

Annette Jensen Bjarke Ingels Brian Yang Buster Christensen Daniel Sundlin Finn Nørkjær Jakob Henke Jan Magasanik João Albuquerque Kai-Uwe Bergmann Martin Voelkle Pauline Lavie-Luong Sheela Maini Søgaard Thomas Christoffersen Aidar Marat Aleksander Tokarz Alessandro Ronfini Alessio Zenaro Alvaro Garcia Mendive Amy B. Campbell Ana Merino Anders Hjortnæs Anders Ulsted André Modler Andre Schmidt Armen Menendian Brandon Cappellari Brandon Cook Caroline Krogh Andersen Claudia Hertrich Claus Hermansen Daniya Nurumova David Brown Erich Gerlach Fred Zhou Gabrielle Nadeau Hans Andersen Jan Kudlicka Johan Cool Jon Offt Ejlersen Jonas Barre Julian Liang Ken Aoki Meruyert Utegenova Minjae Kim Mitesh Dixit Pavel Lysikhin Peter Berner Peter Kofod Bentsen Peter Vibing Rebecca Dallarosa Richard Howis Roza Matveeva Sofia Gaspar Stanley Lung Tina Tröster Xenia Vins Zamira Djalilova

AWARDS

Cityscape Dubai Award, 2009

Akimat of Astana City, 2009