Specially made aluminium screens, left, shield the library from the direct effects of the hot Egyptian sun
The spare geometry of the library has been carefully adapted to deal with the orthogonal form of an existing conventional centre on the edge of the site
The monumental volume of the library, heightened by its reflecting pool, deliberately refers to the city’s ancient traditions
With Alexandria’s university and its 75,000 students nearby, the library will have a ready-made audience. The architects designed the comfortable high-back chair for the library
Like its predecessor, the new Alexandria library intends its book collections to specialize in the sciences
With its forest of columns, the reading room is built on a spectacular scale. It accomodates a range of spaces with very different qualities, some intimate and discreet, others open and grand
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