Cultural · 1990 · Riyadh · Original structure: NA - Expansion: Gerber Architekten

King Fahad National Library

Originally constructed in the 1980s, the original library building is a marble cladded structure topped with a large gold dome and distinct arched openings. The 59’558 m2 site sits between Olaya Street and King Fahad Road and consists of a public plaza in addition to the library building. Previously, the expansion project started as a design competition on another site and ended as an extension of the existing smaller library building. The pre-existing adjacent amusement park was relocated to allow for the new public plaza. In 2007, the expansion project was under construction with Gerber Architekten leading design. The curved, white textile facade wraps around a cuboid structure that surrounds and preserves the existing building which is visible from the inside. The interior spatial organization incorporates the original library as the archival space that holds the closed stacks with limited access. However, its octagonal former roof connects to all sides of the semi-public third floor reading area via bridges that merge into one platform, unified by material and light. “Each Teflon-coated fiberglass membrane cloth is attached to a grid of pre-stressed stainless steel cables and arranged in a traditional Arabian pattern. At night, the building comes alive as “the city’s cultural lighthouse” as a changing colored light show illuminates the white fabric facade” - Gerber Architekten