The Library building
History and Architecture
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The Library building was designed in 1958 by the architects Shulamit and Michael Nadler in collaboration with their partner, Shmuel Bixon. The building was inaugurated in 1968, and the architects were awarded the Rokach prize for their achievement. The Sourasky Library was designed as a single structure.
The raw concrete building, with its dramatic, impressive presence on campus, has become one of the most well-known symbols of the brutalist architecture school of thought, which uses readily available, plain building materials, retaining their raw, uneven texture. At the same time, the building's elegance and flow marked a subtle departure from the stringent conventions of brutalist architectural design.
The building is located at the central part of the campus plaza and measures approximately 12,600 square meters.
The idea of designing the library building as a central compound facing inward is based on traditional Middle-Eastern construction principles by which buildings are protected from the strong sunlight and harsh weather conditions prevalent in the region. This concept helped provide an atmosphere of serenity throughout the study halls allowing students and faculty members to concentrate on their work while at the library. The idea of designing the library building as a central compound facing inward is based on traditional Middle-Eastern construction principles by which buildings are protected from the strong sunlight and harsh weather conditions prevalent in the region.
This concept helped provide an atmosphere of serenity throughout the study halls allowing students and staff to concentrate on their work while at the library.
The internal design connects the inner work and supply sections directly to the reading halls on the upper floors. Hence the library was built as a structure made of chiseled concrete hovering over the stone built ground floor.
The ground floor is part of a terrace pattern integrating the surrounding land slopes into the overall landscape design of the campus. .
The various functions inside the building are all arranged in a continuous open space environment. The ground floor entrance opens into a large lobby with sofas and chairs allowing for quiet study and conversation. Going up to the reading floors the visitor may enjoy a relaxing view of the inner garden as well as the lawns and campus buildings surrounding the library. The entire western wall of the lobby is decorated with the spectacular mural "Return to Zion", painted in 1976 by Avraham Ofek. The painting tells the story of new immigrants on their way to Israel through the eyes of the artist. |
