Marie Marcotty & Cécile Kinet

National Library of Prague. ISA Saint-Luc Liège (Belgium)

The project of the Czech National Library is established in the outskirts of Prague, in a particular site, between city and park. It benefits doubly from this strategic provision. Firstly, the project appears as an opportunity for stimulating this district, where social equipments are rare. Secondly, the site, because of its qualities, can be a fructifier for the project. So, the building is integrated into the park, and moreover, wants to be its extension. The park can be lived from inside the building and all around it by some micro parks.

The National Archives, which have a determining symbolic value but are not open to the public, play a structuring role. They constitute the root of the library and are presented to the public by the materialization in its higher part of a generous space.
Under the National Archives, the stocks of books are to be found, the preservation of which is thus optimalized. Transparent book tubes cross the various levels of the project and materialize the movement of information.

The program is vast and complex. According to a will of functional clarification, there are three spaces to be distinguished in surface.
- The library itself is open onto the park and benefits thus fully from the geographical situation. The restaurant is installed at its top and enjoys a magnificent view of the famous castle of Prague.
- The administrative spaces cover the esplanade to the city side. The relaxing areas are to be found to the park.
- A public space, formed by the higher part of the National Archives, is put at the disposal of the users of the library.

The vertical circulations are on a double axis and make two facades. Each function benefits from its own vertical circulations, thus allowing a differentiated use in time.

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