Erick van Egeraat - Architects - Architectural and Design Projects - Tatarstan National Library Tatarstan National Bank Kazan

Tatarstan National Library Tatarstan National Bank Kazan

• Design: 2007
• Realisation: -
• Client: Municipality of Kazan
• Gross Floor Area: 81,000m²

The new National Library and National Bank of the Republic of Tatarstan form a concept for a New City Centre for Kazan. Besides offering all traditional facilities of a state library, the building invites citizens to explore and experience knowledge. It provides a home to all modern ways of accessing information, but its flexible setup allows for future forms of working with knowledge, too. The Library building has a gross floor area of 52.500 square meters and is situated at the Tukay square on the South-Eastern edge of the city centre. It is designed as a covered extension of the city centre. A multi-functional, 18 metre-high atrium serves as a portal between the library and the city and turns the building into part of the public domain, a place where the collective and cultural qualities of downtown spaces are combined. The entrance space can be meeting point, boulevard, gallery, living room, garden and educational facility at the same time. Embedded into a hill, the building continues the shape of the landscape and offers a park on top of the building. By linking the existing Hermitage Park, the new library park and the National Library to the adjacent Tukay square, this area transforms into a vibrant hub of Kazan city life. Consequently, Erick van Egeraat proposes to extend the proposed site and allow for the development of the Headquarters of the National Bank, for high-quality offices, luxury apartments and retail. The project is a cornerstone in the urban redevelopment of Kazan, the third Capital of Russia.

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