A humble addition to the urban fabric, a new landmark for the city of Varna “Thousandfold” is the ultimate universal medium adapting, accommodating, attracting, innovating, performing,orchestrating…. The new Varna library contributes to students and researchers, services public and it is a depository for Bulgarian national literature. It promotes the idea of cultivating connections physically as well as in its performance as a research center, public realm and tourist destination.

The proposal consists of 2 distinct and contrasting programs/forms: 

Anti-Icon:

The library as a medium public space for innovation, research and collaboration is in constant physical and programmatic transition and interaction with the users and the city. The interplay of users and the building is merely limited to the interior, spatial organization of the building rather than the specificity of its exterior shape. “A space rather than an object, an institution rather than a building.”

Several ideas/forms assisted conceiving the Anti-icon:

Plaza is based on the absent of the form, creating a void of potentials to be manipulated. A vibrant, covered plaza dedicated to public, for people to interact and engage, to perform cultural and social events; and eventually become an integral part of urban fabric. This plaza will form along the primary street(osmi primorski  polk blvd) to imitate the similar environment of the city, to absorb energy, to attract visitors. The ceiling is high enough to accommodate any civic and educational event. Ceiling also cladded in mirror to exaggerate, to multiply and to diversify the street effect.

The”L” acts as a backdrop for the plaza, protects residential blocks from the chaos and noise, and harmonizes the existing residential context by its linear façade. It accommodates the reading rooms since it is facing the quiet zone. It completes the idea of an urban block.

Book collection (spiral) is organized on a spectrum of noise level. It starts with noisy, open to public amenities at ground floor spiraling up to more quiet and technical zones. Book spiral formed on the idea of compressed data in computer technology, consists of 3 dedicated compressed boxes, to achieve high efficiency of energy consumption and circulation. Its encounter with the “L” creates unexpected moments of generous expansion signifying creativity and freedom.  It becomes a never-ending journey of expansion-contraction through books (knowledge), begins and ends to the city.

Icon:

The main storage facility is an independent, self –contained and efficient structure fully dedicated to storage of books, newspapers…. It becomes Varna’s new landmark, new symbol of knowledge and culture. A new global tourist destination contains the biggest infinity effect space inspired by fictional library of Babel.